My Life 2
by stargate6525
Summary: Sequel to My Life. After the shocking reveal of Mike's true age, Harvey and Jessica find themselves becoming the full-time parents of a surly, animated teen. Rated due to cursing and mentions of past child abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Suits or the cast or characters they are just being borrowed for this fic. **

Chapter 1

It had been two full weeks since Jessica Pearson learned Mike's secret. It had been four days since Harvey and Donna learned it as well. Mike's life had gone through a drastic change since then.

At first Jessica had left Mike alone but that hadn't lasted long before she decided that Mike needed to take his physical, after that Jessica had said she'd five him two weeks to fix his weight and arm but she hadn't kept that, Mike had only gotten a week (granted his getting sick might have had something to do with it). After Donna had found him puking and dragged him to Harvey's office where Jessica walked in and then the doctor had been called and he was told he had to take a few days off work. He had been made to stay in either Harvey's or Jessica's office for three days straight while dressed in jeans and shirts rather than his suit. Mike had felt like a child home sick from school and kept at their parents work because there was no one available to babysit. The worst part was that he was being made to stay with Jessica until he was better. This sucked.

He had gotten to see his grandmother yesterday, which he was glad to do, he missed her. What had irritated him though was that both Harvey and Jessica had gone with him, they had told his grandmother **everything** that they had and were doing and to Mike's annoyance she **agreed** with them, she **encouraged** it and even told Mike to be a good boy and do as he was told when they left. Mike had blushed a deep red as he nodded and walked out noticing the smirk on Harvey's face.

Today he had been dragged to the doctor's office, a former pediatrician! The doctor had given him some shots, while Harvey had to hold him down because Mike **really** doesn't like needles, and then taken a look at his arm where he had gotten a cut and then it had gotten infected. The doctor had said that Mike's arm was healing nicely but his infection was still there so he recommended a light workload for the next week and for Mike to finish his antibiotics as well as replenishing the supply of cream that was to be applied to the cut. Thankfully the doctor said that they only needed to clean his cut once a day now but in Mike's opinion that was the only good thing the doctor had said. The doctor had also told Jessica and Harvey (who were both present during the entire exam much to Mike's chagrin) that Mike's weight had gone up a full pound since they'd last weighed him which while an improvement was not as high as it should be. The doctor did a couple of tests before deciding that Mike simply had an unusually high metabolism and thus would burn calories faster making it harder for him to gain weight, his solution, to give Mike larger portions. Mike sighed when he heard this, he didn't want all the food he was given now let alone more. Once the doctor was done they made an appointment for a month's time to check Mike's progress and also get the next round of shots (there were two more after that) as well as saying that they needed to keep a weekly log of Mike's weight as well as note how much he eats at each meal.

Mike was grateful when the appointment was over and they were headed out again. Dinner had been painstakingly long since Harvey and Jessica had to keep prodding him to eat his food, they had ordered him a rather large meal in Mike's opinion but in truth it was really no larger than theirs just larger than the one's from the kid's menu Mike usually ordered from. Once they were home Mike took a shower, allowed Harvey to clean his arm then he was sent to bed.

Mike had to admit that the bed was really the one good thing that had come out of this. Mike had never slept in a bed before this one, he had to admit it was nice, comfortable and he never wanted to go back to his cot again. Mike had actually been sleeping rather well what with a soft bed and a full stomach, he was finding that he didn't get tired as much and he could focus on things longer and more clearly. Mike had thought his mind was good before this but now that he had enough to eat and sleep and his infection was clearing up Mike found that he was nowhere near his full potential before, it was amazing.

Despite how much better Mike had been getting there were still a couple of times that he'd had a nightmare, it was usually the same one, the night that he ran away from his last foster home and fled to the streets. That night had been bad, really, really bad. It had been snowing all week and it had actually gotten so bad that they couldn't get out of the house for the past three days. Close quarters and a lot of beer didn't bode well for a seven year old Mike. At the time the family he had been living with was the Donner's, there was just Mr. and Mrs. Donner and neither really wanted children, they had only taken Mike because the state paid them for doing so. Mike had been given the hall closet for a bedroom, it was small, cramped, dusty and stuffy but it was so much safer being in there than being out so he stayed in his closet as much as possible.

It had been on the fourth day of confinement that Mr. Donner had gotten absolutely smashed. He had been dragging Mike out about once a day to beat him up a bit but that day had been so much worse. Mr. Donner had taken the door of Mike's closet off it's hinges and then dragged Mike out by his hair all the way to the garage. He brought Mike over to the middle of the three car garage and tied his wrists together, behind his back, with a long piece of rope and then stood Mike up on the hood of the car while taking the rest of the rope and tying it around the beam on the ceiling. Once Mike was tied tight Mr. Donner pulled the car out of the garage and then shut the garage door. Mike was left hanging by his wrists with nothing supporting him. Mr. Donner came back into the garage and started to beat Mike mercilessly for a good hour before he grew tired and walked out, leaving Mike there to hang. Mike was left there for a couple hours until he was crying and begging to be let down. Finally Mr. Donner came back and pulled his car back into it's spot only he had been driving it all around (the roads having finally been cleared earlier that morning). The car wasn't well taken care of and it was old, it overheated easily and the engine was known to run hot even if it wasn't over heated. When the car pulled in Mike had quickly put his feet on it for support only to jerk them away again because the hood of the car was burning his feet. Mr. Donner had laughed when Mike had cried out and then begged him to release Mike. Mr. Donner had continued laughing all the way out of the garage as he left Mike to decide which was worse, hanging by his raw and bleeding wrists or burning his feet on the hood of the car in order to get some relief. Mike had stayed there for hours dancing between tearing into his wrists or burning his feet until, finally, the car had cooled and Mike could stand. Once Mike was able to stand a new problem occurred, the souls of his feet were burned (not enough to leave permanent scars but enough to make putting pressure on them hurt) and it hurt to stand. Mr. Donner finally came back four hours after having left Mike the second time, he finally released Mike only to drag him by his hair over to an empty space and beating him once again. Mike fell unconscious at some point and when he woke he was still in the garage and it was dark outside. Mike listened for a little while before deciding he was alone and opening his eyes, he knew that he wasn't willing to stay there any longer and that if he showed his social worker his wrists he would be removed from this house but he had gotten removed before and it hadn't helped. From Mike's point of view, social services had no clue what they were doing, they kept putting him in one abusive foster home after the other (this was his third placement) and they just kept getting worse. Mike hadn't wanted to risk yet another placement knowing that if it got any worse he would soon be dead so, he had climbed out the window and run as far and as fast as he could. He eventually had to stop when his feet became to cold to walk on, when he looked around he found a library with a bad window in the back that lead to a storeroom, Mike stayed there for three weeks before the weather had calmed and he was able to find something for his feet (granted it had just been a discarded t-shirt he'd found in a dumpster nearby but still). Mike had lived on the streets after that and he had supported himself ever since.

Well he had supported himself until Jessica had busted him and then she, Harvey and Donna had taken over his life for him. Mike still wasn't sure how he felt about it. So far Mike's experience with guardians weren't all that great, he'd never had one (that he remembered) that hadn't hurt him that's why he'd ran. Once he was old enough to apply for emancipation he had done his research, he had picked the laziest and least caring judge there was and made sure that he was the last item on his docket on a Friday. The judge would either have to make a ruling quickly or have to come in on a Saturday and this judge just wasn't the kind to do that. Mike had picked correctly in the end because he knew that no other judge would have granted his emancipation but thankfully it had passed and he left with his grandmother that night to sleep in a building that had running water, electricity and he hadn't broken into. While Mike had loved his grandmother, she hadn't been up to taking care of him and he was actually responsible for her. He had managed to get a bunch of part time jobs, test out of high school and then start testing out of college (he was only allowed to test out of so many classes a semester other wise it would have been done in three months rather than three years), do the laundry and the shopping and the cooking and cleaning and take care of his grandmother's increasing medical needs. There was never enough money to go around and Mike had typically gone without something to eat so that his grandmother could have enough, he just never told her letting her think that he had just eaten earlier and wasn't hungry.

Now that he was under Jessica's roof and under the care of Harvey and Jessica (and Donna playing the role as the babysitter and/or Aunt) Mike wasn't sure what to do. On one hand he really needed this job in order to pay for his grandmother's medical and nursing home bills however on the other hand Mike didn't like to be told what to do. Mike hadn't fought against them that much but that was more to do with the fact that he just hadn't been up to it and since they weren't hurting him he hadn't really seen the need to put forth all the energy required in fighting them off. Now however Mike felt as though he had all the energy in the world, while he still got tired after he ate, the doctor had said it was typical for a full stomach to make young children tired, thus why they typically had naps after lunch. He had also said that most kids grow out of this once their bodies become accustomed to it and their digestive system settles Mike hadn't had that and he would most likely be better off taking a nap each day for a while. The doctor had also said that Mike's tiredness could also be linked to the lack of sleep he had been suffering from for years (all had become rather concerned when Mike had said that he couldn't remember the last full night of peaceful sleep that he'd gotten before Jessica had forced him to stay in her guest room) and so he had encouraged them to get Mike to have a nap for about an hour each day after lunch.

Mike now had energy to spare and he was being made to sit around and do nothing because of a little infection. Mike wasn't sure how this week would go, nor did he think that he would pleased when they pulled him away from his work. Mike knew that he only had to get through this week though, before he was done with this and back at his own place, Jessica had said that once he was healthy she'd let him alone. Mike sighed as he turned over and fell asleep; he would miss this bed when he was back at his own apartment. Maybe he'd save up for a bed of his own, he would be able to afford one in three years at the rate he was going.

Jessica woke up to Mike screaming. She ran to Mike's room (she didn't even know when she had stopped thinking of it as the spare room), bursting through the door, going over to the bed and shaking Mike's shoulder to wake him. It took a moment but eventually Mike's eyes flew open and he jerked away from Jessica looking around wildly for some unknown threat. Jessica watched him until he settled, not wanting to startle him and scare him farther. Once Mike realized where he was but he was still darting his eyes around the room to check every small movement or mysterious shadow.

Jessica walked over and sat down on the bed, sitting down next to Mike. "Mike" she said softly as she slowly brought her hand over, in a way that let Mike watch it all the way, and laid it down on his shoulder. "Mike" she said again when Mike didn't react other than to watch her arm.

Mike looked over at Jessica, "Sorry" he croaked out, the screaming having made his voice slightly raspy.

"What are you sorry for?" she asked.

"Sorry I woke you, it won't happen again" Mike said guiltily looking down.

"Mike, honey, I've already told you before that I'm not upset when you have a nightmare" Jessica said as she brought her hand down and started rubbing slow circles on Mike's back.

Mike tensed at the touch at first but then, after realizing that it wasn't a threat, relaxed into it. It felt nice when Jessica comforted him after he had a nightmare and he just couldn't get over how nice that feeling was, no one had ever done it for him before (his grandmother having been given sleeping pills on the rare occasions that Mike had actually slept). "I shouldn't be disturbing you, I'm sorry and I will try not to do it again" he said.

"Mike" Jessica said as she brought her other hand over to lift Mike's chin so that the boy was looking her in the eye. "I'm not upset that you had a nightmare, I'm never upset when you do. I just wish that you would talk to me about them" she said.

Mike looked at Jessica, she Harvey and Donna had all been trying to get him to tell them about his nightmares for days now and Mike just didn't think it was such a good idea. Mike didn't want them to learn about his past and then think that he is too much trouble, too bad, so screwed up that he isn't worth their time anymore. As much as Mike was still fighting with himself about this arrangement he did have to admit that he felt somewhat safe with the three of them and he didn't want to loose that. "I can't" he said eventually.

"Why not?" Jessica asked softly, continuing to rub soft circles on Mike's back with one had and hold his chin in the other. She started to rub her thumb across his cheek as she practically begged him silently to tell her, to trust her.

Mike stared at Jessica for a long time. He really liked the hand rubbing his back and the thumb on his cheek, they were such comforting and caring gestures and he craved them no matter how much he wished to deny it. Mike didn't want to tell her what he was dreaming but he knew he couldn't get away with telling her nothing, she wanted an answer and he was afraid that if he didn't giver her something then she would stop coming to make him feel better when he woke up screaming. "I can't because I don't want you to hate me" he stumbled out quickly while trying, unsuccessfully, to stop the tears from coming forth.

"Oh Mike, I would **never** hate you, I could **never** hate you especially for something that happened to you as a child" Jessica said.

Mike didn't believe her and just kept shaking his head no too worked up to actually speak. Jessica sighed a little and wrapped her arms around Mike bringing him into a hug and then resuming rubbing circles over his back. Mike lost the fight against the tears and broke down crying into Jessica's shoulder with Jessica trying to calm him and telling him soft words of comfort.

It took a long while before Mike finally calmed down and when he did it was only because he was too exhausted to stay awake any longer. Jessica felt Mike drop off more than heard it, his breathing evened out under her hand and the tears stopped. Jessica laid Mike back down onto his bed and tucked him back in. She watched Mike sleep for a little while, it always amazed her how young he looked in his sleep (at least when it was peaceful), she figured he could easily pass for a twelve year old when he slept.

She left eventually, heading back to her own room to text Harvey and let him know a quick recap of what happened and to say that they would be in a bit late in the morning because she wanted to let Mike sleep in a bit. With that done she adjusted her alarm and laid back down on her own bed sighing as she realized that they still had a long way to go with Mike but at least he had given her something tonight. She just wished she knew what had really happened to Mike as a child, maybe Donna could scrounge something up but even if she did it wouldn't' be much. Mike's past was firmly locked away in the eidetic memory of an eighteen year old boy who was, apparently, scared of losing the three of them if they knew the truth. It was going to be a hard fight but one that was worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am glad that you all are enjoying this fic. I hope to keep this going for a while, at least until we get through Mike's first christmas with Harvey, Jessica and Donna. Reviews are appreciated, please tell me what you think and also if you could help me come up with some ideas as to what to get Mike as a costume that would be great thanks. I was debating on puppy but I just couldn't see that actually happening, it really is too childish and poor Mike would be completely embarrassed.**

Chapter 2

Mike groaned and rolled over and looked at the clock, it read seven am. He shot out of bed swearing as he realized that he had slept in and would be late on his first day back at work, even if it was only part time. He hurried out of the bedroom and ran right into Jessica.

"I was just coming to check on you" she said startled.

"Shit" Mike exclaimed, "sorry"

"Language" Jessica snapped immediately.

Mike ignored her and brushed past hurrying to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Ever since Mike had been forced to stay here Jessica had taken over his wardrobe. According to Harvey, Donna and Jessica Mike's clothes weren't suitable so they had gone out and bought him some (from the kids section no less) and then they had taken away his old clothes and Jessica had been leaving him clothes in the bathroom each morning and his night clothes every night.

Mike got showered quickly but as he went to get his clothes he was a bit confused when he saw some jeans and a shirt. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and then cracked the door, "Jessica" he called, Mike still couldn't get used to calling her that but she had insisted that he do so (when not working) because she wasn't his boss when they weren't working just someone who cared.

Jessica had been expecting some sort of reaction to the clothing but it had taken longer than she'd thought. She and Harvey had agreed last night that since Mike was only going to work until lunch each day that he wouldn't wear a suit. He wasn't going to be leaving the office or meeting with clients and he would be more comfortable later if he was just wearing some basic clothes. "Yes Mike" she said as she walked over to the bathroom door.

"Where's my suit?" he asked through the crack.

"You don't need a suit" Jessica answered.

"Of course I need a suit. I'm going back to work today" he exclaimed.

"I know you're working today Mike but it's only going to be until lunch and then…" Jessica tried to pacify but she was cut off.

"What!" Mike yelled, "shit, I'm going to be so late, I'll never get everything done" he slammed the door shut (either ignoring or missing Jessica's admonishment for cursing) and hurried to get dressed as quickly as possible despite that it wasn't a suit.

Jessica was almost plowed over by Mike as he came running out the door. "Let's go" he called from the front door.

"You haven't had breakfast yet" Jessica said.

"Screw breakfast. I don't have time! I've been off work for days now, there's going to be mounds of paperwork on my desk. I'll never get it finished" Mike said hurriedly. He didn't know why he had so much energy this early in the morning, typically his non-stop talking occurred after a mass amount of caffeine or an adrenaline rush, but right now he felt as though he could run a marathon.

"You're not leaving the house until you've eaten" Jessica said putting her hands on her hips and staring Mike down.

Mike glanced between the door and Jessica then back before huffing and stomping off to the kitchen where there was a plate of eggs, bacon, orange slices, and toast. Mike sighed as he looked at the amount of food placed out for him. He turned to look at Jessica, who had followed him into the kitchen, "This is too much" he complained.

"It's the proper amount. Dr. Richardson said that you needed to eat larger portions" she said.

"But it's too much" Mike whined.

"If you want to go to work then you should start eating" Jessica told him as she poured herself a cup of coffee, pulled out a chair and sat down.

Mike glared at her, he knew that she would eventually have to get to the office and then he could go as well. She had told him he could get to work for a half day, which, for Mike's typical hours, was approximately six hours a day. He was more than willing to wait her out, he wasn't tired and had plenty of energy, he could wait for as long as she could. He crossed his arms and sat back in the chair, "I'm not eating" he stated.

Jessica raised one eyebrow at him. She didn't believe that Mike would out last her, he hadn't so far, so she just sat back and waited. They sat there for thirty minutes before Jessica realized that Mike might actually be willing to go for a while. It appears that Donna had been right, they had all been dealing with a hungry, tired and ill Mike before but now Mike had been getting enough to eat and enough sleep and his infection was clearing up nicely. Now Mike had the energy to fight and they were all in for a whole new experience.

She sighed internally and studied the stubborn boy in front of her. She knew that she needed to get to the office soon but the question was how to get Mike to eat so that they could leave. She looked down at her watch and then back up at Mike, it was surprising her that after the fuss he had made about needing to get his work done and yet here he was using up his time being stubborn. "I'm willing to sit here as long as you like but you do realize that you're just eating up your time don't you?" she asked slyly.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"The longer we sit here the less time you have to work" Jessica answered. She knew that this would work, the kid wanted to go to work.

"You said I work for half a day" Mike said.

"And you do, you work from seven thirty am until noon" Jessica said simply.

Mike balked at this, "That's only four and a half hours" he said indignantly.

"Yes it's a half hour longer than half a day" Jessica said.

Mike laughed at that, "No it's an hour and a half less than half a day and that's on a good day" he said.

Jessica studied him for a minute, he seemed to be telling the truth, "What's the shortest day that you've ever had?" she asked. While she knew that most associates tended to work long hours, as did a lot of partners, she also knew that few had worked over a fourteen-hour shift during their entire career.

Mike thought for a second before saying, "eleven hours and thirty seven minutes, it was during my first week, that Thursday" he said.

Jessica looked at him, "How can you be that specific?" she asked in a disbelieving voice.

Mike stared at her, "I did it" he said simply as though he were explaining to her that it was a bad idea to stick her finger in a socket.

"Is your memory that good?" she asked shocked.

Mike shrugged, "I remember everything from the time I was three up" he said.

Jessica stared at him for a few minutes. If Mike really remembered all that then he remembered every time he was abused or starved, every cold night out on the streets with nothing to eat and nobody to talk to, to comfort him. If Mike really remembered everything then he remembered all of the bad things perfectly and that couldn't be pleasant, no wonder he had nightmares. "I'm so sorry" Jessica said.

Mike looked confused, "For what?" he asked.

"No one should have to remember all that you've been through, going through it once was more than should have happened to you" she said reaching her hand over and cupping Mike's cheek.

Mike leaned into the touch unconsciously but he still didn't understand. "My mind is the only thing that I've always had, while yes it sucks to remember some things my entire childhood wasn't bad" he said.

"Well that's good she said." She started to move her hand away but stopped when she noticed the lost look in Mike's eyes when she did so. She moved over to sit next to him and put her arm around his shoulders, this discussion was probably brining up some bad memories for Mike and she felt bad for starting it. Deciding to get back to their original topic she asked, "So, what's the longest you've ever put in at the office in a row?"

Mike thought for a moment, doing the math in his head. "Um.. Eighty-seven hours and forty nine minutes" he said.

Jessica was silent for a minute doing the math, it totaled to three days, fifteen hours and forty-nine minutes. It was longer than anyone that he'd ever heard of before. "That's not healthy Mike" she said gently. While it was gentle it was still an admonishment.

Mike just shrugged, "I've stayed up longer just not at the firm, it's no big deal" he said.

Jessica sighed internally and then took note of the time, "Well you will have stricter hours from now on. I want you to eat the eggs and then we'll head out" she said standing up to put her cup in the sink.

Mike sighed but ate the eggs. It was going on eight and he wanted to get going, she had reduced the amount that he was supposed to eat so he thought he should give a little too.

They were soon at the office and once they got there Mike headed straight for his cubicle where he found a stack of ten briefs from Harvey and, surprisingly, nothing from Louis. He smiled a little to himself as he sat down and got to work. The other associates had already arrived and Mike had noticed that while they had turned their heads when he came in dressed casually no one had said anything. Mike wondered if it was because they just didn't care or if they were afraid of some type of punishment either way Mike was thankful for it.

Jessica started heading to her office but was quickly side tracked when she noticed the construction going on down the hall. It seems that Hardman had decided to build himself an office that was a rather good size. Harvey came up and the two of them had a discussion about Hardman before Donna came over.

"So where's the pup?" Harvey asked changing the topic from Hardman to Mike.

"He had a rough night. Did you know that he remembers everything that had ever happened to him?" Jessica asked. They had moved the conversation into Harvey's office for some privacy.

Harvey sighed and looked over at Donna, the two of them had known about Mike's memory from the beginning and had put the pieces together earlier they were just hoping to spare Jessica the same feelings of worry and sympathy for the kid. "Yeah" he said.

Jessica looked over at Donna who was shaking her head in confirmation. "You both knew," she said a little surprised. After a beat though she realized that "Of course you did, you hired him after all" she said slightly annoyed.

"It has come in handy" Harvey said.

"Do you know what his nightmare was about?" Donna asked. So far none of them had gotten Mike to tell about his nightmares or his past.

"No" Jessica said, "However he did say that he wouldn't tell me because he doesn't want us to hate him"

Harvey and Donna looked at each other then back at Jessica stunned, "We would never hate him" they said simultaneously.

"I know that but Mike is afraid that we will. I tried to reassure him last night but he just started crying it took almost twenty minutes to get him to settle down and go back to sleep" Jessica said.

They all sighed and stood there thinking what this might mean. Clearly they needed to get Mike to tell them about his past otherwise it would always haunt him but it was clear that before they could do that they had to get the kid's trust first. That was going to be difficult given the life that Mike has had.

Eventually Donna decided to break the silence with a change of topic. "So are we all set for Wednesday?" she asked.

Harvey and Jessica looked at her; it took them a moment to remember what she was talking about. The partners and associates were heading out for their annual, weeklong, retreat in a nice mansion with a large yard along some woods right on the edge of a big college town. "Mike will be rooming with Harvey" Jessica said.

"And what about the drive up there?" Harvey asked. The associates were all supposed to be at the back of the bus with the junior partners next and then the senior partners up front. The problem however was that the drive took an entire day and they all got meals on the road and eat them on the bus. It was a fancy bus, the seats were in groups of four with tables in between them like a dining room table. Mike wasn't known to eat when left to his own devices, while the bus did stop every four hours for restroom breaks it wouldn't leave a lot of time for either of them to go back to Mike and make him eat something in that short of a time.

"Where would you suggest he sit?" Jessica asked.

"With the two of you" Donna said evenly.

"If we put him with us then it will look suspicious" Harvey said.

"It won't if you put Louis with you and then group all of the other partners with associates, say that you're trying to get everyone acquainted with those that they may be working with one day" Donna said reasonably.

Harvey and Jessica thought about it for a minute before they both agreed that they could pull it off. "Fine but I don't want Louis with us" Harvey said.

"Louis knows about Mike's age. He won't question things too much" Jessica said, "he stays"

Harvey didn't like it but had to admit that Jessica had a point, it would be rather awkward sitting with a different partner or associate and have them wondering why the managing partner and a senior partner are forcing a first year associate to eat his lunch.

"Good now I have one more concern about the trip and then I'll let you be" Donna said.

Jessica and Harvey looked at Donna patiently, "What is it?" Harvey asked.

"What costume are we getting Mike?" Donna asked.

"What?" Harvey and Jessica asked together.

"There's no costume party" Jessica said.

"I know that" Donna said.

"Then why does he need a costume?" Harvey asked.

Donna looked between Harvey and Jessica as though they had lost their minds. "Today is Monday October 26th and you are leaving on Wednesday to go to a college town filled with people 18-25 years of age and you will be leaving there the following Monday which will the November 2nd. What do you think Mike will need a costume for?" she asked.

"I don't understand" Harvey said. What did the date have to do with Mike needing a costume?

Donna sighed loudly but explained it. "You will be taking Mike to a college town on Halloween. It is entirely common for college and high school students to go trick or treating and Mike can easily pass as either. I'm willing to bet he's never been before and this would be a wonderful experience for him." Donna said.

"Donna I don't thin…" Harvey started but was quickly interrupted by Jessica.

"That's a wonderful idea." Jessica said. "It will be a great thing for Mike. Every kid loves trick-or-treating. He won't stand out either the college towns will be filled with teenagers so he shouldn't feel out of place."

"I agree, you picked the retreat for the perfect time" Donna said getting excited, "The big issue is what costume should we get him?' Donna asked.

"That's a good question" Jessica said.

"Ladies!" Harvey called trying to get their attention. He'd been trying to stop this rant since it began but wasn't having much luck.

"What is it Harvey?" Jessica asked.

"Do you think this is such a good idea?" Harvey asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Donna asked.

"Because you're deciding to take a teenager, who had stated many, many times that he is not a child, trick-or-treating" Harvey explained slowly.

Donna and Jessica looked at each other then back at Harvey, "What kid doesn't like to dress up and then get free candy?" Donna asked.

"You know what have it your way just so long as you keep me out of it" Harvey said as he walked over to his desk to start work.

"Fine" Donna said.

"We'll take him costume shopping this evening after we get off work then" Jessica said as she headed out to go to her own office and actually get some work done. It was already nine and so far she hadn't even checked her messages.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Harvey and Jessica spent the next couple of hours working steadily. Donna spent the next three hours digging up everything she could on Mike's past. Jessica had asked her to try and find what she could knowing that there had to be some paper trail on Mike at least until he was seven and then pick up again when he was fourteen. She also searched newspapers and journals.

Mike was extremely happy to be back at work but after having been here for an hour and a half he had finished the ten briefs that Harvey had left on his desk and he was getting to be quite bored, normally he'd bring it up to Harvey but Harvey had e-mailed him telling Mike to bring the briefs up to his office at noon. Usually Louis would have found him by now and loaded him down with a huge pile of work to do which would keep Mike busy for hours and yet Louis hasn't stopped by Mike's desk once today. Mike was so bored that he decided to do a bit of research on the case that he had overheard Harvey working on while he was forced to sit on Harvey's couch. He had just started in on his research when he heard a rather irritated voice behind him.

"Young man this is a workspace not a play area, what do you think you're doing?" Hardman said annoyed while looking down at Mike.

Mike shot his head up, "Mr. Hardman" he said quickly, "Do you need something?" he asked trying to be polite. He knew that Hardman wasn't a good person but he was still a name partner so Mike wasn't about to be rude.

"I need you to go find your parents and stop playing around in the associate's cubicles" Hardman said irritatedly.

"Um…" Mike said confused, "I'm not playing sir, I'm working" he said slowly.

"You're working?" Hardman says sarcastically. He waited for Mike to nod yes before going on, "Really, then when did we start hiring teenagers and institute casual Monday's?" he asked.

"Casua…" Mike started but then he remembered how he was dressed, "Oh, I'm only working for half a day so I was told that I shouldn't dress up" Mike said.

"Young man, I am tiring of this game, tell me who your parents are so I can have them come pick you up" Hardman ordered.

"I'm here to work, I'm an associate here" Mike said, "Look just ask…" he started but he trailed off as he looked around and noted that he was the only associate on the floor. He quickly looked down at his watch and noted that it was 12:05, "Shit" he exclaimed as he quickly stood up grabbed the briefs and started heading out of his cubicle. "Sorry I'm late" he said as he tried to push past Hardman.

Hardman grabbed Mike's arm, hard, and started dragging him towards his almost finished office. "I think we'll just call security and have you removed from the building" he said and then looking down to what Mike had in his hands he grabbed the briefs Mike was holding. "You are not allowed to see these" he said.

"Let go of me" Mike said indignantly trying hard to get out of Hardman's grip, "I work here and I need to take those to Harvey" Mike insisted.

Hardman stopped, "Harvey?" he said disbelievingly, "As in Harvey Specter?"

"Yes" Mike said.

"You took these from Harvey Specter?" Hardman asked.

"I didn't steal them, he had me proof them" Mike tried to explain while still struggling to get out of Hardman's grip.

Hardman grabbed Mike harder and then changed their direction to Harvey's office, "We'll just see what he has to say about that" he said.

Mike continued to struggle until he could see Donna's desk, "Donna" he called hoping for some assistance. He didn't like Hardman and the man was really starting to hurt his arm, he didn't like having to call for help but he wanted away from Hardman more and he knew that Donna, Harvey and Jessica would help him.

Donna looked up from her computer when she heard Mike call out for her. He had sounded scared and when Donna saw him being dragged over to her by Hardman she understood why. "Let go of him" she told Hardman.

Harvey had heard Mike call out for Donna and had left his office immediately, he was not happy when he saw Mike being dragged over. "What the hell are you doing?" Harvey demanded as the same time that Donna spoke.

Hardman was startled at the two people calling out to him at once and he released his grip on Mike. Mike practically ran over to Harvey and Donna the instant that he was released. Harvey and Donna both grabbed onto one of Mike's arms but unlike Hardman's grip, which was painful and frightening, Harvey and Donna's grips were gentle and protective.

Harvey and Donna pushed Mike behind them as Hardman started walking forward. "Harvey he won't believe that I work here, he says that I shouldn't have been playing around in my cubicle but I wasn't I swear" Mike started rambling quickly trying to get Harvey to understand.

"Mike," Harvey said trying to calm him down, "Mike" he said again. Mike finally stopped rambling and looked at Harvey, "I need you to calm down OK" Harvey said. He was about to continue when he was cutoff by a rather irritated voice from behind him.

"This young man refused to tell me who his parents are" Hardman says, "He said that these were yours although I have yet to get him to tell me how he obtained them" he finishes.

"I got them from Harvey" Mike said.

"I gave them to him" Harvey said at the same time as Mike. Harvey was really hoping that he could get Mike into his office while Harvey talked to Hardman but he knew that wasn't going to happen he was just glad that the floor was almost empty because of lunch.

"Why would you give a child sensitive briefs?" Hardman asked Harvey. He was hoping that he could prove that Harvey wasn't following proper procedure and could get him demoted if not fired.

"I work for Harvey" Mike said getting exasperated. He was feeling irritable and a bit tired; he wasn't sure why he felt full of energy this morning.

"Mike is my associate" Harvey said to Hardman. He really needed to get Mike into his office.

"Mike why don't we start on lunch while they talk" Donna suggested sweetly. She didn't like how things were escalating and wanted to get Mike out of there but she knew that it wasn't a simple task.

"This boy looks to be no older than fifteen, if that, I don't know where his parents are but really they should have more control over their own son" Hardman said to Harvey, he was completely ignoring Mike by now.

"I'm twenty seven and my parents are dead!" Mike practically shouted at Hardman, "I am Harvey's associate and I do have a law degree so F… OFF!" Mike did shout that last part.

Hardman was speechless at what Mike had just said, whether it was because he was being yelled and cursed at or the information Mike just provided he couldn't really say.

"Mike, language" Harvey admonished.

"Screw you" Mike said, "You didn't give a shit about my language before so long as it wasn't in front of the clients and you don't have the right to care now"

"Mike go to my office" Harvey ordered. He was pissed with Hardman for what he did but that didn't mean that Mike could stand around cursing at any of them.

Mike was about to protest when Donna grabbed his upper arm and started leading him into the office but as soon as Donna grabbed him Mike started to struggle wildly.

Donna let go as soon as she saw the earnestness with which Mike was struggling she let go of him. Mike quickly backed away from all of them while covering his arm (Donna had, unknowingly, grabbed the same place as Hardman and it had hurt) he was in pain and he was tired and he didn't understand what was going on. Donna and Harvey had protected him and yet he was in pain after Donna touched him but she hadn't gripped him hard, gentle really.

Everyone had stopped to watch Mike, the boy looked scared and no one was sure what to do. Eventually Harvey stepped forward slowly with his hands raised where Mike could see them, "Hey Mike, it's ok" he said gently, slowly.

Mike watched Harvey as he approached but he didn't back away. Harvey took Mike's stillness as a good sign, he continued to move forward and Mike watched his hands, never taking his eyes off of them. Harvey stopped right in front of Mike and then slowly laid both his hands on Mike's shoulders, Mike stiffened for a second when Harvey made contact but then soon relaxed.

"Mike, let's go into my office OK" Harvey said gently.

Mike nodded his assent and allowed Harvey to turn him and guide him into the office by his shoulders. Harvey sat Mike down on the couch and couldn't help but notice that Mike still hadn't taken his left hand off of his right arm.

"Mike, can I see your arm for a second?" Harvey asks softly.

Out of habit Mike brought his left arm over for Harvey to check his cut but Harvey shook his head and gestured to Mike's right arm. "The one that you're protecting Mike" Harvey says. He can see the reluctance in Mike's eyes, "I'll be gentle, I promise but I really need to see your arm alright" Harvey said softly, reassuringly.

Mike hesitated for a moment but eventually brought his right arm up for Harvey to inspect. "Good boy" Harvey said. He gently took hold of Mike's arm just below the elbow and used his other hand to left up the end of Mike's sleeve. Even though Mike was wearing a short sleeve shirt his sleeves still ran down to just above his elbow. Harvey gave an intake of breath when he saw the hand shaped mark that was sure to leave a bruise. When Harvey was done he put Mike's sleeve down and then patted his elbow, "Thank you" he said. "I'm going to go talk to Hardman and Donna for a couple minutes and then I'll be back. I'll be right outside the door, you'll be able to see me the whole time OK" Harvey said gently.

"Tell Donna I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out on her" Mike said looking down.

"She knows that Mike and she's not mad at you. I promise." Harvey said. He stood up and headed back out into the hall once there he turned directly to Hardman. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked icily.

"What do you mean" Hardman asked confused. He was starting to get a headache from this, he was confused and becoming irritated. He had been shocked to hear Mike's age, the boy looked so much younger, but Donna had confirmed it. Now he wanted to know why Mike was dressed in casual clothes and why Harvey was so mad.

"What do I mean!" Harvey exclaimed.

"Harvey, what's going on?" Jessica asked walking up. She had heard shouting from her office but had to finish her phone call before she could come out to see what was happening. She had been surprised to find Harvey and Donna snarling at Hardman.

"What's going on?" Harvey repeated, "What's going on is that he" he pointed at Hardman, "dragged Mike over here and kept such a hard grip on his arm that Mike now has a mark, that will bruise, on his arm in the shape of Hardman's hand."

"What!" Donna and Jessica exclaimed. Donna had known something was up but he hadn't known that and Jessica was just walking into this.

"I didn't know I'd grabbed him that hard. He was struggling, trying to get away and I was trying to get answers…" Hardman dropped off. He honestly hadn't meant to hurt the boy he'd just wanted answers. "I'm sorry. Please tell Mike that I'm sorry if I hurt him" he said as he handed Harvey the briefs that he had confiscated from Mike and started to walk off.

"If you go near him again I will hit you" Harvey warned before turning and heading back into his office.

Jessica and Donna followed Harvey into the office, both fully intent on mothering Mike to death. They walked over and sat on either side of Mike on the couch. "Mike, are you alright?" Jessica asked softly, she brought her hand up and started rubbing soft circles on Mike's back like she had that night after his nightmare.

Mike looked at Jessica and studied her face, he was looking for something but none of them knew what. He must have found what he was looking for however because he suddenly launched himself at Jessica and grabbed onto her for dear life.

Jessica was stunned for a second because this was the first time that Mike had ever returned a hug let alone initiated one. Once she had gotten over her surprise she wrapped her arms around Mike and Donna took up rubbing his back. They sat like that for a few minutes until Mike slowly pulled away, when he looked back at Jessica he had tears in his eyes but had yet to cry.

"Sorry" Mike said quickly, "I shouldn't ha…"

"No" Jessica said cutting him off, "You have **nothing** to apologize for, you have done **nothing** wrong," she assured him.

Mike studied Jessica again before nodding his head but they could all still see that he was struggling with the idea that it was OK to seek comfort that it was OK to actually reach out for help and safety. That was something that they would have to work on but they could already tell that they were making some progress.

Everyone could feel the tension in the room and Harvey decided that they needed to move forward so as to keep mike from becoming lost in his own memories. "I'll call Dr. Richardson to get some type of cream for that bruise after lunch" he said.

Donna followed Harvey's queue and stood up heading over to the table and grabbing four styrofoam containers back to the couch. She handed out all of the containers to their rightful owners and three of them dug in immediately. Mike just sat there staring at it confused.

"You need to eat Mike" Jessica said. She reached over and opened the container for him revealing the grapes and sandwich that was inside.

Mike looked over at Jessica confused, when she put the food in his lap Mike jumped and looked down. The confusion went away when he realized that they wanted him to eat. He was confused and tired and he didn't really understand his reaction to getting his arm hurt. He put it down to a basic fight or flight instinct however he hadn't really done either, sure he had gotten away from Hardman but he'd done it by calling out for Donna and then he had freaked when she'd touched his bruise. It was just a bruise, it was next to nothing and yet he had freaked, that wasn't like him, he never reacted that badly to a simple bruise. He also doesn't go seeking someone else's help **ever** and yet he had called out for Donna, what the hell? Mike knew better than to rely on others either they would disappoint him or he'd end up owing them some favor down the line either way it wasn't good.

"Mike" Harvey called when Mike still hadn't started eating.

Mike started and looked up at Harvey. Yet another thing that was confusing him lately, he never let his guard down and here he was surrounded by three other people and he'd completely zoned out. "Sorry" Mike said quickly, it was a basic reflex to apologize whenever confronted by someone in charge.

"You don't need to apologize Mike, just eat." Harvey said.

Mike looked back down at his food and started eating mechanically while running the same thoughts over and over again in his mind. He wasn't getting anywhere with his answers and soon he was becoming full and starting to drop off. Donna took the container out from Mike's grip before it dropped and Mike let his head fall on Jessica's shoulder.

Jessica smiled slightly as Mike fell asleep on her shoulder. They all readjusted themselves and got Mike situated on the couch so that he could sleep. Once Mike was settled Harvey and Donna explained what they knew. Harvey told about Mike and Donna told them Hardman's story about his interactions with Mike. Once all the information had been obtained Dr. Richardson was called and then headed back to their work and let Mike sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Mike was a child, after having run off, he was once caught for shoplifting. The mall security guard had caught him trying to walk out of a store with a coat on, Mike had been careful and made sure to take all of the security tags off but he apparently hadn't been careful enough to realize that the security guard was watching him. Granted he hadn't exactly fit in much what with the dirty little kids in his dirty clothes full of holes in a rather high-end store. Mike had gone in looking for a winter coat because he needed one desperately but he had ended up in the clutches of a greedy mall security guard. The man had dragged him back to the office by his arm (leaving a rather large bruise when he finally let go) and cuffed him to a chair. The man had then proceeded to try and scare Mike into telling him where Mike's parents were or who he could call. The security guard had threatened everything from locking Mike up in juvie to calling social services to beating the information out of Mike himself even taken a few swings at him. Eventually the man was called away and, believing that Mike wasn't going to go anywhere, had left to deal with the issue. As soon as the guard was gone Mike dragged the chair over to the desk, found a paperclip and picked the lock on the cuffs (oh how he was grateful for libraries, books on lock picking come in handy as well as having locks to practice with on every door and cabinet. Once Mike was free he had run, he had run for two hours before he stopped. Mike had been seven at the time, he had run away from the Donner's two and a half months prior, he hadn't succeeded in getting the coat and he had a rather large bruise on his right arm and a nasty cut from the cuffs on his left wrist. He had never gone to a mall after that, at least not until Jessica, Harvey and Donna had taken him.

Harvey looked up from his work when he heard Mike stirring on the couch, the kid had never had a nightmare while taking a nap at the office but after the day's events Harvey couldn't say that he wasn't expecting one. Harvey had been rather surprised with himself when he found that he was jealous when Mike had hugged Jessica rather than Harvey after all he was the one who had brought the kid to the firm. He had been the one to mentor the kid for six months and yet Mike had sought comfort from Jessica. He didn't like to admit it to himself but he was definitely jealous of Jessica and, for once, it wasn't because she was a name partner.

Mike stirred again and Harvey came out of his musings. He had never dealt with one of Mike's nightmares before seeing as they always happened at night at Jessica's place, he wasn't quite sure what to do.

"Go to him Harvey" Donna's voice came over the intercom.

Harvey should have known that Donna was paying attention. A small part of him was honestly hoping that Donna would come in and mother Mike herself but he knew that it was something that he needed to do. Sighing he stood up and hesitantly made his way over to Mike, he thought that he would have to wake the kid up but was surprised that Mike calmed down as soon as Harvey came near him. He stayed there for a couple seconds before backing up some. Once Harvey had moved back for about five minutes Mike started to stir again. Harvey moved close and once again Mike calmed, he was rather surprised.

"Here, looks like you'll be working from the chairs around your couch" Donna said handing Harvey his work from off the desk. "Guess Mike really trusts you" she said before walking back to her desk.

Harvey smirked, "Yeah, guess he does" he said as he sat down in the chair closest to Mike and started working. This might not be as comfortable as his desk but if it helped Mike to sleep better then this is where he would stay.

Mike woke about an hour and a half later. He woke slowly, familiar with where he was by now after having slept here multiple times already. When he turned over and sat up he was surprised to see Harvey sitting in the chair nearby, "What? Your desk chair not soft enough now?" he asked.

Harvey looked over at Mike, he debated telling Mike that he'd come over because the kid was having a nightmare but he didn't want to ruin what was a rather calm moment. "Just felt like a change of scenery" he said shrugging his shoulders.

Mike looked skeptical but ignored it quickly. He stood up and stretched then sat back down, "Sorry about earlier" he said.

Harvey put his work down and sat back, "Mike, what happened with Hardman wasn't your fault, he shouldn't have hurt you and he shouldn't have accused you of things that he had no basis for."

Mike started to look a little relieved however he could feel a but coming on.

"However" Harvey continued (or a however), "that does not give you the right to start cursing, especially at me. I did nothing wrong and did not deserve your anger" he said.

Mike lowered his head, "I know, I'm sorry, I don't know why I did it I just wanted everyone away from me" he said softly. Mike had been so confused at that time, he was lost somewhere between past and present and wasn't sure what was going on. All Mike had been certain of was that he was in pain and that people were trying to lock him into an office, again.

"What were you afraid of exactly?" Harvey asked softly, he had noticed that Mike was lost in thought and Harvey was hoping that the kid would answer a few questions if he were cautious about it.

Mike was quiet for a minute just staring off into space eventually though, he opened his mouth, "It just reminded me of something I'd rather forget" he answered slowly.

Harvey sighed internally, he had been afraid of that, Mike had so many bad memories from his youth that almost any injury or threat could easily bring one or more back up to the surface and that doesn't include the ones that plague him regularly. "Want to tell me about it?" he asked.

"Not really" Mike said shaking his head. Mike then looked around the room for the bag that held his entertainment; he wanted to end this conversation and finding something else to do would be the quickest way to do so. "Where's the books?" he asked.

"Mike, we need to talk about this" Harvey said putting his hand on Mike's knee to keep the kid on the couch.

Mike sighed, "Harvey, I really don't want to discuss this can't we just drop it?" he asked pleadingly.

"Mike I know you don't want to talk about this but you need to talk to someone. If not me then someone else but you can't keep this all bottled up inside Mike it's not healthy" Harvey said calmly. He had started rubbing Mike's knee as he spoke, he hadn't thought about what he was doing he'd just started doing it when he'd felt Mike tense under his hand.

Mike looked down at Harvey's hand on his knee. He didn't want to discuss this and he didn't understand why everyone always said that he needed to talk about his past. He didn't see the point in bringing up all of those memories, they weren't something he wanted to remember so why should others have to hear about them? He kept watch on Harvey's hand, it hadn't stopped and the kneading felt really good, it was like when Jessica rubbed his back, it was a caring gesture that was new to him. He sighed, he knew he owed Harvey something for all that he'd done for him and this was one of the better memories when it came to things like this. "I was seven, new to living on my own" he started quietly.

Harvey sat and listened to Mike talk, kneading his knee the entire time and staying quiet, supportive. He was shocked but pleased that Mike was finally talking to him about his past even if it was just this one story.

"I ran after that, never went back there" Mike said as he finished. He looked up at Harvey after he was done expecting to see disgust in his eyes that Mike hadn't been able to get a simple coat without being caught.

Harvey stayed quiet for a long time just thinking over what he'd heard. If he could get his hands on that security guard now he would strangle the man but that wasn't what Mike needed to know. Mike needed to know that everything was all right. "Mike, that should never have happened to you" he said softly.

"I know, I shouldn't have let myself get caught" Mike said admonishing himself.

"No, Mike, it was **not** your fault. You should have never been in the position to have to steal a coat in the first place and that security guard should be in jail" Harvey said. He looked Mike straight in the eye as he said this and he could see that Mike was watching him for any signs of deceit.

"I can take care of myself Harvey. I'd made the decision to look after myself and I'm the one who got caught. I don't blame that security gau…" Mike said but Harvey cut him off.

"You were a kid Mike." Harvey insisted." I don't care what you say to the contrary, **NO ONE** should have harmed you, you did **NOTHING** wrong and you have **NOTHING** to feel bad about. That man is the one to blame and I will not allow you to blame yourself for his wrongdoings"

Mike studied Harvey for a very long time, he didn't think that this would be Harvey's' reaction to his story but sympathy and assurance was not it. He didn't really know what to say to that but he could tell that Harvey was sure about Mike not being in the wrong and he couldn't understand. He nodded slowly but he was still a bit confused.

"Mike, I want you to know that what happened to you wasn't your fault and I don't want you blaming yourself for any of it. Someone should have stepped in a long time ago and stopped it before it had even begun and I am so sorry that they didn't OK" Harvey said. He could see that Mike was becoming agitated with the conversation and he needed to wrap this up for now.

"OK" Mike said nodding his head almost mechanically.

Harvey nodded and got up from the chair gathering his work and heading back to his desk.

Mike resumed his search for his bag and eventually found it on the right side of Harvey's couch hidden behind an end table. He pulled it out and started sorting through it looking for the next book in the Harry Potter series. He had started reading the series after he had finished Ender's Shadow and was bored, Donna had pulled out the first book and started reading it allowed to him, as much as he hated to admit it Mike had liked the story and with Donna reading it allowed he'd liked it even more. He had just finished the second book and was not looking for the third but he wasn't having any luck.

Harvey looked up from his work once Mike had managed to empty the entire bag. "Is there something in particular you're looking for?" he asked Mike.

Mike looked up from his search, "Not really" he said.

Before Harvey could question Mike further Rachael knocked on the door. Harvey beckoned her in, "What can I do for you Mrs. Zane?" Harvey asked.

"I need a little help getting some boxed down in the file room, they're on the top shelf and even with a stepstool I'm not tall enough to reach it. I was hoping that maybe Mike would be willing to help" Rachael asked.

"Yes" Mike said quickly jumping up off of the couch and heading over to Rachael.

"Mike" Harvey called but he was too late, Mike was already out the door. He would have asked Donna to stop him but she wasn't at her desk. He sighed; he'd give them five minutes before he went after them.

Harvey watched the clock until the five minutes were up. Donna had come back and inquired about Mike and was actually impressed that Harvey was being so patient in giving them a full five minutes. Once the five minutes were up Harvey was out of his office and at the elevator in seconds.

When Harvey got down to the file room he burst in on Mike and Rachael looking rather comfortable standing rather close together. "Mike" Harvey said once the two had jumped apart upon his entrance.

"Harvey" Mike said startled, "What are you doing down here?" he asked.

"I thought we had an agreement when it came to Rachael" Harvey said simply.

Mike had a deer caught in the headlights look until it finally clicked what Harvey was talking about then he just gulped. "Is that really necessary?" he asked shooting Harvey a pleading look.

"Either you tell her or I will" Harvey said crossing his arms. The kid had put himself in this position and now he was going to have to pay the price.

"What's going on?" Rachael asked confused. "Mike?" she asked.

"I have something I have to tell you" Mike said after loosing the staring contest with Harvey. He sighed before continuing, "Have you heard about the minor who tested out of Harvard Law?" he asked.

"Yeah" Rachael said, "Who hasn't? The kid's a legend"

"Yeah well, you see it turns out that I … well.. I may be… I am that kid" Mike rushed out at the end.

"Wait, what?" Rachael asked. She looked to Harvey for confirmation and the man nodded. "If you're that kid then that would mean you're only…" she trailed off not really wanting to say it.

"I'm 18 Rachael" Mike said simply.

"18, Mike, that's well… that's rather…" Rachael said.

"Young, I know" Mike said.

"Look, I don't mean to get in the way here but Mike needs to get back to my office and you need to get back to work. I think that we can all agree that neither you or Mike will be anything more than just friends giving the age difference" Harvey said.

Both Mike and Rachael nodded their assent and Mike allowed Harvey to lead him back to his office. Rachael grabbed the files that they had taken off the shelves and then headed out. No one noticed that Gregory was hiding in the file room the entire time and had heard everything. He smiled to himself after they'd left, just wait until the other associates heard about this.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After getting back to Harvey's office Mike had gone off. He had not been happy about Harvey's interruption and he definitely Harvey making him tell Rachael about his age. Harvey had been rather patient throughout however when Mike started cursing and was nearly screaming, throwing an all out tantrum Harvey had put his foot down. It had taken nearly forty minutes before Mike finally gave up fighting and actually stayed in the corner where Harvey had put him.

Mike was forced to stand there for twenty minutes before Harvey finally let him out, Mike had apologized for acting up and then he had sat down on the couch and started looking through his entertainment bag again. That was twenty minutes ago and Harvey was starting to get annoyed by the incessant rustling of books, movies, games and bags.

"What is it that you're looking for?" Harvey asked, slightly annoyed.

Mike looked up at Harvey, shook his head to the negative and then returned to looking through the items that he'd strewn all over the coffee table.

They sat like that for another five minutes and just as Harvey was about to snap at Mike when Donna came into the office, "Harvey, you have a meeting in five minutes" she said before leaving again.

Harvey sighed in relief, "Time to clean up Mike," he said.

Mike put everything back in the bag and then joined Harvey at the office door. "I can get down there on my own, I don't need you to walk me" he said.

Harvey sighed and looked down at his watch. He needed to be in his meeting in three minutes and while it was a thirty second commute it didn't mean that he didn't mind being early. "Alright but you go straight there, I'm going to text her and let her know that you're on your way so she'll be expecting you. Take to long and she'll be coming after you" Harvey relented.

"Got it," Mike said. He practically bolted from Harvey's office and started heading down to Jessica's office, maybe the book he wanted was in there. He was heading straight to the office when Gregory and Roger interrupted him.

"How's it going Ross?" Gregory asked snidely.

"This is getting old" Mike said. He crossed his arms and stepping back.

"I don't think you'd be the best judge of that" Roger said.

"What?" Mike asked. What had that meant?

"Well we just mean that you wouldn't be the best judge of what is 'old'" Gregory said smirking.

"And why's that then?" Mike asked. They couldn't know? Could they?

"Come off it Ross, we know you're that freak kid who tested out" Roger said.

"I don't know what you mean" Mike said.

"I heard you in the file room, talking to Harvey and Rachael. It's no wonder you've been given special treatment." Gregory said smirking.

Mike swallowed, this wasn't good. Before he could say anything though Jessica walked over, apparently Mike had taken too long.

"What's going on here?" Jessica asked coming over.

"Nothing, just talking" Mike said, "Sorry I'm late, got side tracked" after that he pushed past Gregory and Roger and headed straight for Jessica's office.

Jessica wanted to question further but since there was no evidence of wrong doing and she hadn't heard any of their conversation there wasn't much she could do unless Mike said something. She left the two associates with orders to get back to work and then headed back to her office where she found Mike searching through his entertainment bag. "What was all that about?" she asked him.

Mike paused in his search through the bag and looked up at Jessica, "Nothing" he said and then turned back to his search.

Jessica walked over and took the bag away from Mike, ignoring his protest, and sat down next to him. "What were the three of you discussing Mike?" she asked.

"Nothing" Mike said as he made a grab for the bag.

Jessica held the bag out of Mike's reach and turned to look him in the eyes. "What did they tell you Michael?" she asked sternly. They had been discussing something and Mike's aversion to discussing it was telling her that it was something that he didn't want her to know about.

Mike sighed, "They know" he said.

"Know what?" Jessica asked.

"They know how old I am" he answered and once again made a swipe for the bag.

Jessica moved the bag away from Mike before continuing the conversation. "How do they know?" she asked.

"Because Gregory overhead Rachael, Harvey and I in the file room earlier and then he told Roger and most likely anyone else who was willing to listen" Mike answered. He made one last grab for the bag and was finally successful, he quickly dug through and found the book that he was looking for, "yes" he said as he put the bag down and started to read.

Jessica let Mike alone to read as she took in what she'd been told. Based on what Mike had said his secret would be all over the firm by the end of the day. On one hand it made things easier for them since now there would be less questions about why Mike is suddenly receiving different treatment and being held to different rules. On the other hand it would make things more difficult for Mike because now everyone would know the he really is a child. They wouldn't fire him though, the kid was the best associate at the firm and he did have a degree so it wasn't a concern however they would treat him differently and Jessica knew that it wasn't something that Mike would appreciate. Still they couldn't change things now and honestly when she looked over at Mike sitting there curled up on her couch, reading a book and eating a fruit by the foot (that was a nice change, it was the first time he'd eaten any of the snacks voluntarily and without prodding or suggestion) she just couldn't help but think that he really was just a kid. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for everyone to know.

She sat back and got to work, she would need to tell Harvey and Donna about this new development but not right now, right now Harvey had a meeting and he needed to focus. She needed to focus also, one more quick glance at Mike to see that he was still doing alright and then she started in on her own work.

About twenty minutes later Mike had finished his fruit by the foot and was starting to get thirsty. He put his book down and got up off the couch heading for the mini fridge in the back corner of Jessica's office. He had just got down on the floor to get into the fridge when the door to Jessica's office opened.

"Why didn't you tell me that Mike Ross was 18?" Hardman demanded as he walked in.

Mike stayed down where he was, and moved behind the couch, at this point he wasn't in easy sight, Hardman would have to look for him in order to find him and Mike was really hoping that he wouldn't.

Jessica stood up from her desk; she had noticed Mike sneak away behind the couch when he'd heard Hardman. "I believe that there is a door there for a reason" she said to Hardman.

"Why wasn't I informed about Mike Ross?" Hardman asked.

"It wasn't anything you needed to worry about" Jessica said.

"He's a child and he shouldn't be here" Hardman said annoyed. He did not want a child working at the firm, it would look bad.

"Mike Ross is the best associate at this firm and does more work than any of the other associates and faster than they work as well. If his age is what concerns you then you have no reason to fire him, there is a reason that he was able to test out of Harvard Law" Jessica said.

"How will it look to our clients when they realize that were having a teenager working on their mergers or their lawsuits? It won't look good for us" Hardman argued.

"Mike Ross has already met many of out clients and they have all been suitably impressed, I don't think that his age will be a problem." Jessica said. "Now this is none of your business so I suggest you leave my office" she said gesturing to the door.

"This is my business, I'm a name partner in this firm, all of the employees are my business" Hardman argued.

Jessica stepped out from behind her desk and stood over Hardman, "You are to stay away from Mike Ross or do you not remember what happened this afternoon. You injured him; you need to stay as far away from him as possible lest he decide to press charges against you. He would have every right and I would be more than happy to represent him, I'm sure Harvey would be too." Jessica said icily. She had been walking forward as she talked thus pushing Hardman backwards, by the time she was done talking Hardman was pressed against the door. She had debated pressing charges right away but she hadn't wanted to put Mike through what bad memories it would bring up, he was already going to have some and he didn't need anymore.

Hardman gulped, "Right, well… I think I'll be going," he said nervously. He had forgotten what happened that afternoon and he didn't want to have to go through a legal battle especially when he knew he would loose.

As soon as Hardman left Mike came out from behind the couch. He stayed on the floor and stared up at Jessica, "I should quite. I'm sorry I got you all into this" he said standing up and starting to head to the door.

Jessica put a hand on Mike's arm to stop him, "Mike, I meant what I said, you're the best associate at this firm and I don't want to loose you"

Mike looked at her skeptically, "Why keep me when I'm just going to cause problems?" he asked.

Jessica led Mike over to the couch. "You have done nothing. You are not causing issues. I am not about to loose the best associate here because other people have an issue over your age all right" she said.

Mike sighed and looked down, "Yeah, fine" he said. He didn't know if he really wanted to stay someplace that he wasn't wanted however, as much as he would deny it, he was actually starting to like being with Harvey, Jessica and Donna. It was nice to have people who cared about him and he didn't want to loose that either so, as long as it wasn't hurting the work that they were doing, he would stay for now.

"Good" Jessica said. She patted Mike's leg, handed him his book and then went back to her desk. She sat working for about ten minutes but she stopped when she saw that Mike hadn't quite staring at the door since he sat back down. "Mike, are you alright?" she asked.

Mike jumped at his name, he looked over at Jessica, "Yeah, I'm fine" he said. As soon as he was done talking Mike turned his attention back to the door, he didn't want Hardman surprising him again. Mike wasn't positive why but he was uneasy around Hardman, if he had to guess he would say it was because Hardman had hurt him but it was just a stupid bruise and yet he was still jumpy.

Jessica watched Mike, the kid was nervous, she could see that. Realizing that Mike wasn't about to be honest or to calm down, she gathered up her work and went to sit over on the couch across from the one Mike was sitting on.

Mike calmed down once Jessica moved closer, he didn't necessarily like it but he felt safer with her close. After a few minutes he settled into his book again only this time he sat facing the door, just incase.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know the last chapter was short but I'm putting up two in one day so it should make up for it. I listed several costumes for Mike but am still unsure as to which one to go with, any votes you have would be appreciated. Also I won't be updating for a few days as I'll be out of town. Thankyou.**

Chapter 6

Harvey had been informed of what happened as soon as his meeting was over, he'd gone to pick up Mike and had found the kid curled up tight as a ball reading and leaning against Jessica on a couch while she worked. He'd known something was up then, he'd sent Mike back to his office and was pleased that no one had interrupted him when he received a text from Donna a couple minutes later.

He and Jessica had finished their conversation and then had gone back to work, Harvey shooting Donna a quick e-mail to update her as well before settling in. They all got to work, or in Mike's case he started reading, and stayed that way for the next four hours.

At seven pm Jessica walked into Harvey's office, "Word days up" she said.

Harvey nodded and Donna came into the office. "I have to go to dinner with a client at nine" Harvey said as he closed his laptop.

"Perfect then you can join the three of us shopping and then leave from there" Donna said.

"What shopping?" Mike asked skeptically coming over to join them.

"You'll see" Donna said skeptically.

Mike narrowed his eyes but followed them all out nonetheless; it wasn't as though he had much of a choice. They all climbed into Jessica's car and started heading toward the local mall. When they got there they led Mike over to the Halloween shop that had opened, (it was one of those that appear in an empty store front every Halloween, last for a month and then close down until the next year).

When Mike saw where they were going he stopped dead in his tracks, "Why are we going here?" he asked.

Donna and Jessica shot Harvey a look as if to say 'explain this and get him to agree' but Harvey smirked, "Oh no, we agreed that you two would handle this" he said as he walked off to go do some shopping of his own.

Jessica glared after Harvey before looking back to Mike, "We're here to get you a costume" she said.

"A costume for what?" Mike asked skeptically.

"For Halloween" Donna explained as though it were obvious.

"I don't do Halloween" Mike said. He'd never celebrated Halloween before, all the neighborhoods that handed out candy were places that he'd stand out like a soar thumb and all the places that he fit in weren't the safest places to be so he'd always just found a safe place to hide. After moving in with his Grammy he'd always been working in order to pay for the bills and her food, no time for Halloween then.

"Well you will this year" Donna said.

"I'm too old" Mike argued.

"We'll be in a college town over Halloween, there will be plenty of people your age and older who go trick-or-treating, you'll fit right in" Jessica said as she laid a hand on his back and started, gently, pushing him towards the store.

"Jest because it's a college town doesn't mean that college students will be out. I'm too old for this" Mike protested, as he was lead towards the costumes.

Jessica stopped and faced the boy, she knew from the beginning that he'd argue and she had easily guessed what his arguments would be and she had thought all day about how she'd get him to agree. "I tell you what" she said getting Mike's full attention, "We get you a costume and Harvey and I will drive you into the town, if there are people your age out trick-or-treating then you go as well, we'll stay in the car at the end of each block to make sure that you stay safe. If there is no one out your age then you can get out of the costume and we'll get you a large bag of candy and let you watch movies and TV in the room for the rest of the night. Deal" she said. It was a decent offer and she knew it.

Mike thought her offer over, it was fair and he seriously doubted there would be anyone his age out there so in the end he would end up with candy and a TV that was good. "Deal" he said.

"Good, well now that we have the details worked out let's find you a costume" Donna said excitedly. She had done her research on the town and she knew that at least half of the campus went out every year so Mike would be going trick-or-treating.

They spent the next forty-five minutes looking for a costume that they could all agree with, Mike losing most every battle since he didn't want to be dressed up like a kid. Donna, of course, had suggested Mike be a puppy but that had been shot down immediately. They had then shuffled through a pirate, a top gun costume, a ninja, a swat officer, and Donna had tried to suggest some superhero costumes but Mike wouldn't go for it. Eventually they all came to an agreement, got accessories to go with as well as a container for candy and then checked out and met Harvey outside the store.

"Come to an agreement?" Harvey asked as they all met up.

"Yes" Jessica said as the three of them started heading out. Jessica, Donna and Mike stopped at a restaurant in the mall while Harvey took the shopping and went to put it in the car then meet Ray so that he could head to his meeting.

After they'd eaten the trio got into Jessica's car and headed back to Jessica's home. Once they got back Jessica turned to Mike, "Go take a shower and then come into the kitchen so I can clean your shoulder and put the cream on your bruise" she said (Jessica's driver had picked it up from the pharmacy earlier after a call to Dr. Richards).

"Fine" Mike said as he headed out. He'd learned earlier in the week that there just wasn't a point in arguing about getting his shoulder cleaned and it didn't hurt to do it anymore either.

Once Mike was in the shower Jessica turned to Donna "Did you get the information?" she asked.

"Yes but I want to wait for Harvey, I can't go over this twice" Donna said. She had done the research and she had been disgusted with what she'd found, she didn't think that she could stomach going over it twice more.

"Very well" Jessica said. They both took a seat in the kitchen and waited for Mike.

After a few minutes Donna became a bit restless and she stood up, "I'm going to get Mike packed for the trip" she said as she headed for Mike's bedroom.

Mike showed up in the kitchen a few minutes later in his night pants and holding the shirt in his hand as he sat down in a chair and waited for Jessica to take care of his wounds.

Jessica walked over to Mike and started to bandage up his left shoulder first. She couldn't help but look at Mike's back while she worked, it always surprised and upset her how many scars there were. She just couldn't help but wonder where they'd all come from. As she moved onto Mike's right side she glanced a look at Mike's right wrist (the one that the security guard had cuffed to the chair) and she could see a faint scar that had stayed after having never been treated. It had gotten infected and the scar wasn't likely to ever go away now.

She finished patching up Mikes arms and then sat back. "All done" she said.

Mike put his night top on quickly and then headed to the living room.

"Where are you going?" Jessica asked.

Mike paused and turned around, "To play the PS3" he said. As much as he'd been skeptical about it at first he'd actually grown to enjoy it. Mike had even tried to get a couple of games himself but Harvey and Jessica had stopped him because they were rated T, which he argued was stupid since he was an adult but they won. Mike wasn't allowed to play anything rated over E10. It was stupid in his opinion but the system and the TV weren't his so he lived with what he had.

"Mike, it's almost eleven, you're not going to play you're going to bed" Jessica said.

Mike was really starting to get really tired of the three of them telling him what to do and for once he wasn't too exhausted to fight. "It's too early to go to sleep" he said turning back to head toward the living room.

Jessica stood up, "Mike, it's late, you need to sleep and you're not going to play video games tonight" she said.

"Yes I am" Mike said.

Donna walked back in on this and shook her head, she stood in front of Mike, "This is not a debate. Now either you head to bed or you can stand in the corner and then head to bed" she stated.

"I'm doing neither. I am going to play for a few hours and I'll go to bed when I'm tired" Mike argued.

Harvey came in at that, "Corner!" he ordered Mike pointing to an empty corner of the kitchen.

Mike glared at Harvey but after their earlier fight he knew better than to push Harvey when he ordered him to the corner especially when he was outnumbered. Mike huffed but stomped off to the corner Harvey had indicated.

Jessica stood shocked, "Care to fill me in" she said to Harvey.

"We had an argument earlier after our run in with Rachael and someone decided to throw a tantrum" Harvey explained. He had told Jessica earlier about talking with Rachael in the file room however he had left out the part where Mike got in trouble. Guess he shouldn't have.

Mike was made to stand in the corner for fifteen minutes, absolutely bored silly, before Jessica let him out. "Now it's time for bed" Jessica told him once he'd turned around.

Mike was about to argue until Harvey appeared in the doorway, "Fine" he ground out and then stormed off to his bedroom. He made sure to slam the door for good measure before dropping down on the bed. He couldn't believe he had let things get this far, he had always taken care of himself, protected himself and taken care of his grams. He had always been responsible for his own well-being and yet here he was running to Jessica, Harvey and Donna when he was scared of Hardman, he was relying on them for food, clothes, entertainment, safety and even comfort. He didn't know how all of this had gotten so out of hand and he didn't know if this was healthy. Dr. Richards would clear Mike by the time they got back from the retreat, he would be allowed to go back to work full time. Jessica had said that Mike had to stay with her until he was 100% and then he would be allowed to go back to his place. Mike knew that he wanted to have more control over his life but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to his cold and lonely apartment. It wasn't that he would be back to sleeping on a cot or that there'd be no hot water or proper heating it was that he would be alone with no one there to comfort him when he woke up screaming from a nightmare or that no one would care what he did, what or when he ate and how much he slept or worked himself.

The thoughts were driving him crazy, he knew that he shouldn't want any of those things, he'd been independent all his life and he would be again soon. He shouldn't want those things but a small part of him did, a small part of him was really enjoying this, enjoying having people who cared even if they were rather controlling. He eventually drifted off to sleep wondering what was going to happen once they all got back from the retreat.

As Mike was sleeping Harvey, Jessica and Donna were gathering in the living room. "What did you find out" Jessica asked Donna the moment they were all seated.

"Find out about what?" Harvey asked.

"I asked her to do some research into Mike's past, I know there won't be anything from the time he was seven to fourteen but there should be something before and after that." Jessica explained.

Harvey and Jessica then turned to Donna waiting expectantly. "Alright" she started, "So I looked into Mike's parents first. From what I could tell they were good people but they never had much, their apartment was less furnished than Mike's is now but they really seemed to love him. The only picture that I was able to find on them was an old newspaper clipping it showed the two of them with Mike being held in-between them. I made a call to a friend of mine at the paper and they dug through some old files and found the original copy of the picture. I picked it up earlier, I thought Mike would like to have it" Donna reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope and then removed the picture handing it over to the other two.

Harvey and Jessica looked at the picture; it showed two people smiling while holding a small child in-between them. Mike couldn't have been more than two when the picture had been taken but they all looked so happy. The two parents were staring at their son with pride and joy. They might not have been rich but they clearly loved their son. "It's a shame Mike can't remember them" Jessica said sadly as she put the picture back in the envelope and then set it aside intending on giving it to Mike in the morning.

"They died from being hit by a car" Donna continued, "A drunk driver ran a red light and hit them as they were crossing the street. Mike had been with his grandmother at the time so he wasn't hurt. His grandmother had petitioned for custody but she wasn't allowed to given that she didn't meet the required income level and she was already showing the early signs of dementia. They put Mike into the system three hours after his parent's funeral. He was kept at an group home for the first six months until it was discovered that the person who ran the place was keeping the kids locked in the basement for days on end and sending down as little food and water as possible to keep them alive. He was taking his checks to the local casinos and gambling them away rather than spending them on the kid's needs. After he was removed from there he was placed with his first set of foster parents the Harrison's. He was kept there two years before he was removed after his grandmother's thirteenth call to social services about expected abuse, nothing was confirmed they just returned him because they were tired of dealing with Edith, that's Mike's grandmother. Edith had been allowed occasional visits with Mike and each time she had called saying that there were bruises or cuts on Mike and that he was always loosing weight. They did check after the first few but everything had passed fine so it wasn't too long before Edith's calls were ignored. Once Mike was returned by the Harrison's he was placed with the Baxter's for a year and a half. Edith was still given visitation but it was seldom and again after each visit she would place a call, during the last call she said that there were burn marks on Mike's arms that looked as though they were caused by cigarettes and Mike had a black eye and a slight limp. The Baxter's returned Mike not long after that but nothing was ever proven and Mike didn't say anything about it. The last foster home he was in was with the Donner's and he was only there for six months before he ran off. Mike ran away in the middle of winter, after a horrible snow storm." Donna said.

"How could he have successfully run away in the middle of winter?" Harvey asked. "He would have frozen quickly if he didn't get inside and people are bound to find him if he had to stay in one place for any length of time"

"Well apparently the Donner's never reported Mike missing, the school was on Christmas break at the time and it wasn't until the break ended three and a half weeks later that they noticed that Mike wasn't there. The school waited for two weeks before calling the cops for truancy. Once the cops searched the house they found that the Donner's were not very good people. Apparently they made Mike sleep in a closet that was so small even an undersized seven year old couldn't laydown in it and they would lock him in there. The cops also found belts, canes, and whips with Mike's blood on them. The Donner's were the only one of Mike's foster parents who were ever arrested for abuse, they were also tried for murder but no one ever found Mike's body and there wasn't enough evidence so it didn't stick." Donna continued.

"That's too bad" Jessica interrupted, "They should have gone away for murder"

"There were lots of stories written on it at the time, the tabloids went crazy with speculation as to what happened to Mike but nothing was ever proven and soon the story dropped. After that there wasn't much to find, Mike stayed below the radar until he was fourteen. He found the worst possible judge to grant him emancipation and then he moved in with his grandmother. From the reports I gathered and the, and what I learned from some friends who work at the courthouse in dealing with minors seeking employment, I learned that Mike tested out of high school almost immediately and then he got quite a lot of scholarships for college. He took the scholarship for Harvard and then he used the money to test out of as many classes as possible, they put a limit on how many he could test out of in a semester so it took him about three years to finish with both his bachelors degree and then Law school. He used what money he had left to help pay the rent, medical (for his grandmother), utilities and grocery bills. His grandmother took a turn for the worse about a year and a half after he was emancipated and he had to put her in a nursing home but Mike wouldn't put her in a state facility, he scraped up everything he could to get her the best care he could afford. Mike worked three jobs above board and from what I could tell by the taxes he filed at the time he was also working at least two jobs under the table at the same time. He worked himself to death. When his grandmother got worse he needed the $25,000 dollars and he went to Trevor who got him a one-time job dealing and that's how we met. The rest you all know." Donna finished. She hadn't liked what she'd dug up and she was glad she only had to repeat it once, she had been disgusted to learn that only one of Mike's foster parents had ever been arrested and that Mike had been forced to work himself to death in order to support his grandmother but at the same time she couldn't help but be proud of Mike for what he'd done for his family and for himself. It couldn't have been easy living on the street for seven years but he had managed it and while he hadn't done it without scars he had landed here with three people who loved him and were willing to do anything they could to help him.

Harvey and Jessica sat taking in what they'd just heard. They all knew that there was more to the story but they wouldn't learn anything else without Mike. The boy had his life locked away in his head, every horrible detail and he wasn't very open about it. They were all surprised, but pleased, when Mike had agreed to tell Harvey about the security guard and yet they all knew that it was one of the nicer stories they didn't need Mike to tell them that. Mike had started with an easy one to see their reactions and then, if they passed, he might continue.

After another hour or so they all called it a night and headed to bed. The next day went by fairly quickly, Mike worked for half the day then ate lunch with Harvey before taking a nap on his couch. After he woke he read until it was time to go. He was allowed to play the PS3 that night for a couple of hours until he was made to go to sleep. The next morning was going to be an early one and Harvey and Jessica even caught early nights.


	7. Chapter 7

****Sorry it took so long to update. I have finally found a beta reader. I plan to update at least once a week. I would like to say thank you to my beta reader.****

Chapter 7

Jessica went into Mike's room at 4:30 a.m. in the morning on Wednesday to try and wake up the teenage boy, yeah this would be easy. She had waited until the last second to wake him, already having all of the bags in the car and clothes laid out, all Mike had to do was get up and get dressed. "Mike," she called as she gently shook his shoulder.

Mike groaned and rolled over but did not wake.

"Mike," Jessica called again, louder this time.

"Go 'way," Mike mumbled into his pillow.

Jessica smirked, for someone who never wanted to go to bed; the kid sure was a heavy sleeper. She took the comforter off the bed and shook Mike's shoulder again. "Mike, it's time to get up, we have to be at the office in thirty minutes," she explained. She flipped on the bedroom light before leaving the room.

Mike groaned at the light but he got out of bed regardless. It took only three minutes before Mike was in the car; as soon as he was buckled up he leaned his head against the window and fell asleep again. Jessica couldn't help but smile at the sight. It wasn't hard to wake him once they arrived at the firm.

After getting out of the car, Mike started heading over to the group of associates standing in front of one of the buses -there proved to be too many people going for one bus so two were hired. - The associates were to ride on the basic bus, no tables and two to a row, and the partners and senior partners were to ride in the nicer bus. Jessica grabbed Mike's arm as he started to go toward the associate bus.

"What?" Mike asked turning to face her.

"You're not riding with the associates," she said. While the original plan had been to mix all the groups, now that everyone knew Mike's secret there was no need to do so.

"I'm not riding with the partners," Mike argued. He didn't want to be pulled out for special treatment. While the other associates were polite yesterday they were also distant, more so than usual.

"Mike, if we were to leave you with the associates, you wouldn't eat. Not to mention that you would be surrounded by people who aren't your biggest fans at the moment. It's not happening," Harvey said after joining them. "Now let's get on the bus," he grabbed Mike's arm and started walking towards the bus with his briefcase and a backpack.

"What's with the backpack?" Jessica asked, she too had a briefcase but the backpack confused her.

"Donna packed it for Mike," Harvey answered as he and Mike followed Jessica onto the bus.

Jessica directed them to the first group of seats. Harvey pushed Mike into the side facing the front of the bus and against the window. Harvey sat across from Mike on the other side of the table and Jessica sat next to Mike on the aisle. A senior partner whom Mike had never met named Douglas sat next to Harvey and across from Jessica.

"What do you mean the backpack's for me?" Mike asked Harvey.

"Donna packed this full of things for you to do," Harvey answered. He had refused it when Donna had first brought it to him last night saying that it wouldn't be necessary however Donna had insisted and he wasn't about to say no to Donna when she got like that.

They all sat quietly until the bus started moving, once they were all on the road Jessica, Harvey and Douglas all pulled out the work from their brief cases and Mike was left sitting there with nothing to do. It took all of five minutes before Mike got bored. He looked over at Harvey, "What do you need me to do?" he asked.

Harvey looked up at Mike, "I didn't actually bring you anything to work on," Harvey said a little bit guiltily. He should have thought of that but he was in a bit of a rush last night and hadn't been thinking about bringing Mike any work.

Mike turned to Jessica, "I take it you're the one who has something for me to work on then?" Mike asked. He hadn't been allowed to bring anything himself, even though he'd certainly tried. His work at the office was barely keeping him busy for the half days of work he had so he hadn't been able to save any of that to do for this either.

"No Mike, I don't, I'm sorry." Jessica said. Like Harvey, she had remembered her own work but she had nothing for Mike to do.

Mike looked almost pleadingly over at Douglas, he'd never met the man but if he had something to do then Mike was happy to help. "I don't suppose you have anything you need done?" he asked.

Douglas looked between Harvey and Jessica for permission before turning back to Mike, "Well, I was going to have an associate look over these when we arrived but if you want to," he said as he pulled out ten briefs and handed them over to Mike.

Mike quickly took the briefs from Douglas, "Thank you," he said. He turned to Harvey, "Harvey, can I have a pen and some highlighters?" he asked.

Harvey got the requested items out of his briefcase and handed them over wordlessly. "Thanks," Mike said. He pulled out his headphones and I-pod and turned it on.

They all sat working for the next two hours before Mike closed the last brief and looked up at Douglas. "Here, there were some basic mistakes but the real issue was with…" Mike pulled the brief out and opened it to the right page, "this one here. The client is being ripped off by someone; I'd say it was the accountant." Mike finished. He handed the briefs back to Douglas. "Is there anything else you have?" he asked.

Douglas looked at Mike stunned, while the briefs had not been huge they weren't thin either and the kid had just finished them in two hours. He looked down at the page that Mike had noted and did the math himself. He was even more impressed by the time he was done, "How did you manage to catch that?" he asked Mike.

Mike shrugged, "It was…" he paused, he didn't want to sound cocky but it was really simple for him to catch, "I'm good with numbers," he finished.

Douglas turned to Harvey, "Kid's good," he said.

Harvey nodded, "Why do you think I hired him?" he asked.

Douglas laughed, "Yeah, guess that makes sense. Honestly though, once I heard the kids' age I didn't think-"

"What? Didn't think a kid was capable of working?" Mike interrupted. He knew he shouldn't be rude but he was sick of people underestimating him just because of his age, he was a hard worker and he'd never shown otherwise.

"Sorry," Douglas said, cowed slightly by Mike's anger.

"Mike," Harvey reprimanded. It was just the one word but Mike understood the meaning.

"Sorry," he said to Douglas.

Douglas laughed but kept quiet after that. Mike watched him expectantly, "What is it?" the older man asked.

"Do you have anything else to do?" Mike asked.

"No, sorry," Douglas said, "That would have kept my associate busy for the whole trip; I hadn't expected you to get it done so fast."

Mike sighed then started to turn around. Jessica stopped him and made him sit back in his seat properly, "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Seeing if anyone behind us has something to do," Mike answered. He then tried to sit up to turn around again.

Jessica once again pulled Mike back down into his seat, "Mike, just wait, we're about to stop and get breakfast. After you're done eating you can go around and ask if any of the partners have work they need done," she said, willing to compromise with the restless teen.

Mike agreed and sat back down. It wasn't a bad deal so he wasn't going to fight it. A few minutes later the bus pulled over at a restaurant. It wasn't one of the fancier places that the people at the firm typically ate at but it was a bit more familiar to Mike. Mike couldn't help but smirk as he watched the many people dressed in fancy clothes, granted they were casual clothes but fancy nonetheless, walk into the simple roadside restaurant. He knew that he was wearing nicer clothes than he was used to, but he was still in clothes that were suited for a teenager and he was dressed the least fanciest of the lot.

As they all walked in, Mike tried to go and sit with the other associates but once again Jessica and Harvey stopped him, leading him over to a table with five other partners. "I should be sitting with the other associates," Mike said quietly to Harvey as he was placed between the two.

"Mike, if we could trust you to eat, we'd let you," Harvey whispered quietly to Mike so that only he could hear.

Mike humphed and sat back but he refrained from crossing his arms and pouting. Soon the waiters had come to take their orders. All of the senior partners gave their orders and then Harvey ordered for both himself and Mike, he hadn't done it to embarrass the kid; it was just a habit by this point. Mike however slumped a little lower in his seat and wished that he could disappear.

Everyone at the table stayed quiet until the waiter came back with their drinks, then they started talking about the different cases that they were working on. One partner, Peterson, mentioned that he needed to grab an associate once they got to the retreat.

"I can do it," Mike said jumping in. He knew that he'd be bored once they got back on the bus and if there was work to do he was more than willing to do it even if it wasn't for Harvey.

Peterson looked at Mike a bit skeptically, "I can have one of the other associates take care of it," he said.

Mike kept himself from rolling his eyes before responding, "I am perfectly capable of doing the work; just ask Douglas, I got his done on the way here," he said.

Peterson was still suspicious but he turned around to find Douglas at another table, "Douglas," he called.

Douglas also turned around so that he could face the group, "What is it?" he asked.

"Is the kid any good with handling the briefs?" Peterson asked motioning to Mike.

Douglas smirked, "Best one I've ever had," he answered, "and the fastest." Douglas then turned back around as the food was delivered.

Peterson turned back to face Mike, "Alright then, I'll let you take a look at them once we get back on the bus, I've got five, that should keep you busy." he said.

Mike scoffed, "Sure, for about an hour," he said. He knew it wasn't quite polite to say so but Peterson was just being so condescending that Mike couldn't help it.

"Mike," Harvey warned.

"Sorry." Mike apologized. He then started to eat his own food; he didn't want Harvey and Jessica getting on his case about eating in front of five senior partners.

Jessica dug around in her purse and pulled out Mike's antibiotics, "Here," she said handing him one. Mike took it quickly.

"What's that," another partner, Nash, asked.

"Just an antibiotic pill," Mike answered.

"What do you need it for?" a different partner; Hooper, asked.

"Got a gash on my arm a few weeks back and it became infected. Still have four days left of the antibiotics," Mike explained, shrugging.

The other partners nodded at that and then they all spent the rest of the meal eating quietly. Soon everyone was done and they were all back on the road.

Once they were underway, Peterson came up to Mike with the five briefs, "Here, they're all yours," he said.

Mike took them quickly and got to work, popping his headphones on as he did so. It took Mike no more than an hour before he had the briefs finished. He gathered them together and started to stand.

"What do you need?" Jessica asked.

"I need to take these back to Peterson." Mike answered.

Jessica hid a smile as she stood up. She too had thought that Peterson was being rude but had kept her mouth shut and let Mike deal with it; he needed to be able to handle himself at the office. She thought that he'd done rather well although he did step over the line once but that was to be expected, he was still learning.

Mike walked about halfway down the bus before he came across Peterson, "Here," he said holding out the briefs.

"Get bored?" Peterson asked sarcastically.

"No, I'm finished with them." Mike answered calmly. He once again handed the briefs out and this time Peterson took them.

Peterson looked over each of the briefs a bit shocked before finally turning to Mike, "Good work," he said a bit surprised.

Mike shrugged, "Is there anything else?" he asked.

"No, that was all I had." Peterson said. Most of the partners had brought one or two briefs for an associate to work on but for the most part they had only brought things for them to do while the associates were made to participate in different activities. The partners would participate as well but it wasn't mandatory for them to do so.

"Oh," Mike said a bit disappointed. It was only nine in the morning and they still had twelve hours to go before they got to the mansion they'd be staying at. He looked around at the other partners at the table, "I don't suppose any of you have something you need done?" he asked somewhat hopefully.

The other partners looked a bit skeptical but two of them had some work they needed done so they pulled it out and handed it over. "Thanks," Mike said as he walked off while looking over the seven briefs that he'd been handed. A couple of them were almost paper-thin; did no one bring heavy work to do while they were gone?

"Found more work I see," Harvey commented shortly when Mike came back.

"Yeah, Peterson was out but a couple of others at his table had some things that needed to be done," Mike answered.

Harvey smirked but let it be. This would be good for Mike's reputation, he was the only associate on the bus so the partners were forced to use him and he was good so the partners would be impressed.

They spent the rest of the bus ride working. Harvey, Jessica and Douglas had brought enough to keep them occupied and Mike had gone around to the different tables getting whatever work there was that needed to be done. He got through over two thirds of the work that the partners brought on the one bus ride and everyone on the bus was suitably impressed.


	8. Chapter 8

**OK so my beta reader had a personal matter and is no longer available but that's alright. I have plenty of chapters written I was just trying to wait so that they could be looked over. Here's two at once. I'll try to update more often.**

Chapter 8

They arrived at the mansion at 9:30 that evening and Harvey and Jessica couldn't help but notice the way Mike was rubbing at his eyes. He'd been doing it for about the past half hour and it was completely obvious that he was tired. The other partners had refused to give Mike any more work after 9 and he'd been sitting there bored, staring out the window, listening to his music and doing his best not to nod off. Mike had missed his typical nap after lunch and it was becoming painfully obvious.

They all climbed out of the bus and the associate's bus started to gather their bags while the partners just walked into the mansion. Mike started heading to get his bags but Harvey stopped him by putting a hand on the kid's shoulder, "They'll be brought to the room for us" Harvey said.

Mike sighed; he wasn't thrilled with being treated specially, or at least better than the other associates. He knew that all of the other associates were aware that he was with Jessica and Harvey, that he was being given the same special treatment as the other partners. The other associates already hated Mike and this wasn't exactly helping. "Harvey, I can take care of things myself" Mike said as he reached up to rub his fist in his eye.

Harvey sighed, Mike was tired and he was being argumentative, he would have to keep a better eye on the kid's naptime. Harvey had to stop a smirk as he thought that, here Mike was, eighteen years old and he was starting to act like a cranky toddler because he didn't get his nap, yeah his life had seriously changed in the course of these past few weeks. "Your bag is towards the back and you'd have to dig them out, just let it be brought in with the rest" Harvey said calmly.

Mike huffed but followed Harvey into the mansion. Once they got in there Jessica started handing out the room assignments, tbe other partners kept glancing towards Mike as they waited for their rooms to be given out. Mike couldn't help but notice that some were smirking and others were just shaking there heads, more in amusement than annoyance. The partners had seen that Mike was good, they had given him quite a bit of work, things that would keep any other associate busy for a good day at least and Mike would finish it in a couple of hours. They now knew that Mike was the best and definitely worth their time however right now, as he stood there exhausted, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and jacket looking every bit the teenager (Mike really looked younger than he was), rubbing his eyes with his fists and a slight pout on his face. They couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that Mike was just a kid, some felt bad at having worked him all day without breaks aside from meals where they would quiz him on the work that they'd given.

Finally Jessica came to Harvey, "You two are in room 128, your bags will be brought up to your room momentarily if they aren't there yet" she said. She dug into her purse and handed Harvey Mike's creams for his scrape and his bruise and then sent them off. Mike huffed at being ignored but followed Harvey nonetheless.

It didn't take long to find their room and Harvey was pleased to see that their bags were already there. "OK, take your bag, get your night clothes and toiletries and take a shower, be sure to leave your top off until I can redress your wounds" Harvey said.

Mike just nodded, gathered his things and then headed to the restroom. He wasn't in the mood to fight he just wanted to get this done and then play his games for a little while. It didn't take long before Mike was showered and Harvey had patched him up, his right arm was now done with so Harvey wouldn't have to keep putting his cream on the bruise. As soon as Harvey was done Mike scrambled away from Harvey and started digging through the backpack Donna had packed for him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harvey asked. Two seconds ago Mike had been about to fall asleep as Harvey was finishing with his arm and now he was tearing through the backpack looking for entertainment.

"Got it" Mike said happily as he pulled out his Gameboy advanced and the container full of games. He quickly picked the game he wanted and popped it in, however before he could start-playing Harvey took the Gameboy out of his hand. "Hey!" Mike exclaimed as he tried to get it back.

"You need to be going to sleep not playing a game" Harvey said.

"No, I want to play" Mike whined. He knew it wasn't mature to whine but he was tired and bored and he had been working hard all day and just wanted to play a little.

"Mike, you're tired and you need sleep" Harvey said trying to reason with him.

"No Harvey, I'm bored and I need to play" Mike argued.

"Mike" Harvey said exasperated. He would have continued but there was a knock at the door.

Mike grabbed the game system as Harvey went to answer the door, "Hey, Harvey, a group of us are heading down to the bar" Peterson said. He saw past Harvey to Mike who was sitting in his pajamas and playing his Gameboy, "Unless you've got something you have to do" he said smirking.

Harvey followed Peterson's gaze and let out an exaggerated sigh, "I'll be down later" he said to Peterson before closing the door and turning back to his wayward associate. He stopped to look at the kid, his eyes were red and he was still rubbing his fists into them but he kept his eyes firmly glued to the game. He had to laugh a little, for as much as Mike denied it he was just a kid. "Mike" Harvey said.

Mike hummed but didn't look up from his game. "Mike" Harvey said a bit harsher taking the Gameboy from his hand.

Mike finally looked up, "what?" he asked annoyed at being interrupted and losing his game.

"Time for bed" Harvey ordered.

"You don't care if I go to bed you just want to go down and drink with the other senior partners" Mike said snarkily.

"First: Loose the attitude, Second: you didn't get your… rest earlier" he'd learned after that first day not to call it a nap, "and you had an early morning, we'll have a long day tomorrow and you need to sleep. This has nothing to do with me going down to the bar, if you remember I told you to go to bed before Peterson came down and invited me out" Harvey finished.

Mike huffed but had to admit that Harvey had a point but still, "I haven't gotten to play all day" he whined. He really needed to stop whining.

"Well you're the one who went looking for work" Harvey said.

"Everyone else was working, it would have looked bad if all I'd done was sit there and played. I'd have looked like a kid!" Mike exclaimed.

Harvey sighed, he had to admit that Mike had a point, that's why he hadn't stopped the kid when he basically worked himself all day but clearly that wasn't such the best idea anymore. "Mike, if you needed a break you could have just said so, no one would have held it against you" he said.

"It would have looked bad Harvey, you heard them they thought I was a joke until I started doing their work. If I'd have asked for a break so that I could play a video game it would have just confirmed their suspicions." Mike said.

Harvey had to admit, the kid had a point. "Alright, I get it, you're fried and you want some entertainment" he said.

"Yeah, but that's the problem" Mike said.

Harvey was starting to get a headache here from Mike's sudden different changes, "What's that mean?" he asked.

"I never wanted to play before." Mike said, "Before you, Jessica and Donna started all of this I could work for days on end without needing a single break and now I can't even go a single day before I get bored. This is all your fault!" Mike said getting more and more agitated. The combination of his first full day in over a week and not having gotten his nap were starting to wear him down and it was just making everything all the more frustrating.

Harvey stopped to study the kid. If Mike had mentioned anything about wanting a break three weeks ago Harvey would have told him to suck it up. If Harvey had known that Mike had worked for multiple days (Over three as his personal best at the firm if Jessica had told him correctly) he would have told him to get a couple hours sleep and then come back where as now he would probably force Mike to take the following two days off. Everything had changed so much in the course of the past two weeks and he was still wrapping his head around it, it had to be so much worse for Mike. "Mike, it's healthy for you to want to play, it's healthy for you to want sleep. You're just a kid" he held up his hand to silence Mike's protests "I know you don't like it but you are and you can't change that. Teenagers need more sleep and yes they tend to get bored easily, that's life. No one will hold it against you if you need a break, everyone takes them, you should have been before all of this and I shouldn't have let you get away with it. Now while not everyone will be playing a game system during their breaks that doesn't mean that they aren't needed. You haven't had the opportunity to play before, you've been too busy surviving to do so but now you don't have to work your ass off to survive and that means you have the time to enjoy yourself it's alright." Harvey tried to explain.

"But it's not alright" Mike argued.

"Why not?" Harvey asked, "What's so wrong with letting others take over for a little while, accepting the fact that you're a teenager and that it's alright to be one?"

"Because it's not going to last" Mike answered somewhat mournfully and looked down at his hands.

Harvey was confused at that, "Well it won't last forever, eventually you'll get older, the older you get the more you'll be treated like an adult but there's still a decent amount of time before that" he tried to explain.

Mike scoffed, "It'll end once we get back" he said.

"What?" Harvey asked confused. As far as he knew Jessica and he were setting up for the long haul, they weren't about to let Mike go off and get himself killed and that was definitely where he was headed before they stepped in.

"When we get back I'll be better, Jessica'll kick me out then" Mike said. He knew that he shouldn't be sad about that but while Jessica could be a bit controlling there were still a lot of benefits to living with her.

"What? When did she say this?" Harvey asked confused. He'd tried to get Jessica to let him have Mike but she'd flat out refused saying that she was the one with the house and that she was the one who'd caught this and Mike was her responsibility. Why would she put up such a fight if she was planning on kicking him out after a couple of weeks?

"She said that when we made the deal" Mike explained.

"What deal?" Harvey asked, he was really getting confused here.

"The one we made after that first Dr. appointment." Seeing the confusion on Harvey's face Mike decided to explain a bit more, "After my first Dr.'s appointment Jessica took me out to eat, she made a deal with me. She said that she'd give me two weeks to take care of myself. If when we went back to the doctor's (barring anything happening) and I had improved then she would let me alone. If I hadn't improved then I would have to follow her rules until I was better. Now obviously I didn't make it the two weeks before I got a bit ill so she cut the time short. My arm will be better in three more days and then our deal is done" he finished.

Harvey sighed and looked at Mike, he remembered Jessica saying something about this deal now but she had said that Mike would be staying with her until he was back up to the appropriate weight and she felt that he could take care of himself. "Is that what she said verbatim?" Harvey asked.

"Well… not exactly but it is what she said" Mike answered.

"What did she say exactly?" Harvey asked. He had a feeling Mike might have missed something.

"She said, and I quote, 'I will give you the two weeks, barring anything happening. I will leave you alone for those two weeks to take care of yourself, go about your normal routine. When we go back to the doctor's if you've improved I'll let you alone however if you stay the same or diminish then you will have to obey my rules until the doctor says that you're 100%'" Mike answered.

"Mike, when she said 100% she didn't mean your arm, she meant you" Harvey answered.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked. He was starting to get a bad feeling about this.

"By 100% she meant that you were at the appropriate weight, had all of your vaccinations, your whole body was healthy and you were mentally healthy. Both of those are going to take quite a while" Harvey explained.

"What do you mean by quite a while? How long are we talking here?" Mike asked skeptically. While yes he liked living with Jessica that didn't mean he wanted to do it permenately, a couple of weeks more maybe a month and then he'd be good.

"Well, more than likely it would take a year at least" Harvey answered.

"What!" Mike exclaimed jumping up, "I'm not living with her for a year! I have a life Harvey, I don't want to have to deal with her, or you, trying to run it for a month let alone a year!" he was pacing now and getting a bit worked up.

"Mike" Harvey said, "calm down" he was really starting to get confused now, the kid just kept jumping from hot to cold and he couldn't keep up.

"Harvey?" Jessica asked opening the door and coming in.

"Yeah" Harvey said, he turned to face Jessica grateful for the help.

"What's going on?" she asked as she took in the scene before her. Mike looked irritated and was shifting between pacing and standing still and Harvey looked rather exhausted and frustrated.

"I wish I knew" Harvey said exasperated.

"I'm not living with you for a year!" Mike exclaimed.

Jessica looked from Mike to Harvey a bit confused. "I'm sorry?" she asked.

Harvey sighed then gave Jessica a very abbreviated recap of the conversation that they'd just held, with Mike's 'help' of course.

"Alright" Jessica said once she had the gist of things, "Mike" she said turning to the boy in question here. "You agreed to the deal we had set correct?" she asked.

"I agreed to follow your rules until my arm was better" Mike argued.

"No, you agreed to follow my rules until you were 100%" Jessica corrected.

"No" Mike said.

"Yes, Mike, now don't try to deny it I know you have a perfect memory so please don't try to pull anything" Jessica admonished.

"But I didn't know that it would mean having to stay with you for a year" Mike complained.

"You knew it was until you were 100% and you agreed to it so there's no backing out now. You are to follow my rules until you're healthy and that's how it's going to be. I'm not discussing this anymore tonight, you're tired and need to sleep" Jessica said.

"No, we're finishing this now" Mike said.

"Mike" Harvey warned. It was amazing how just saying the kid's name would get him to pay attention.

Mike glared at Harvey but stopped pacing. "It's not fair Harvey" Mike complained.

"Tell you what" Harvey said stopping Jessica before she could say anything. "Let's just get through the holidays and then we can sit down and discuss this again alright?" he asked.

Mike thought for a few minutes, the holidays would mean until after Christmas so he would basically be stuck with Jessica until the New Year and that was a little over two months away. It wasn't horribly long and it defiantly wasn't a year. "By discuss you mean remove?" Mike asked.

"By discuss I mean we'll see how it's working for everyone and if it's helping you" Harvey answered, "Once we've talked it over we'll talk about where we'll go from there"

Mike could tell by the tone and Harvey's body language that it was the best, and only, deal that he was going to get so he begrudgingly accepted, "Fine, but you two need to lighten up" he said.

"We'll see" Harvey smirked.

"Now I do believe that it's getting late and you need sleep" Jessica said. She had been all for letting Harvey handle Mike, he needed more experience in that area since she had done the majority of it up until now.

Mike sighed but finally nodded his head in agreement. "Fine" he said hanging his head and going towards one of the two beds in the room.

Once Mike was in the bed Jessica came over and started to pull the covers up, "What are you doing?" Mike asked confused. He was tired and the bed was warm and Jessica was doing something that had never happened to him before.

"I'm tucking you in Mike, I've done it before" Jessica explained patiently.

"No you haven't" Mike said, he didn't remember anyone tucking him in before, he would have this was kind of nice.

"You were asleep when I've done it before but it's alright. Just relax and get some sleep OK" Jessica said calmly speaking in a soft voice trying to get Mike to sleep.

Mike was trying to think up a protest but he fell asleep before he did. He didn't know why but it felt nice to be tucked in, it wasn't something that he'd want to happen every night but once in a while wasn't bad.

Once Mike was asleep Harvey and Jessica headed down to the bar, they'd been gone far longer than they'd meant to and they did need to put in an appearance. From what they could tell Mike was the only person who wasn't at the bar by the time they arrived and while it made him stand out some Mike couldn't have really come here anyway seeing as how he was underage. They spent a few hours at the bar before heading back, once back in the room they checked on Mike to make sure that he was still sleeping soundly and then Harvey gave Jessica a full recount of that nights conversation before saying good night and heading to bed himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mike woke up at around 6:30 the next morning and looked around the room as he stretched. It took him a minute to remember exactly where he was and why there was somebody in the bed next to his as he came to, he was starting to realize that he was a slow waker when he woke up on his own after a good nights sleep. It was something that he was getting used to, he'd never had the experience until he started staying at Jessica's, that first morning he'd been allowed to sleep in had been amazing.

Mike was a bit surprised when he saw the time but as he thought about it he really shouldn't have been, he had gone to sleep earlier than usual so he was bound to get up a bit earlier than usual, or really at the time he had to get up when he was to go to the office, he tended to sleep in later if left on his own. He sighed and got up out of the bed when he got bored of laying there, waiting for Harvey to get up. He got dressed, grabbed his cell, left a note for Harvey and slipped out of the room quietly so as not to wake Harvey.

He started walking down the hallway silently, listening for anyone who might be awake, no one was. He went to the door at the end of the hallway, the rooms were kept separate from the rest of the mansion, but he found that it was locked; apparently they were locked in so that no one snuck off in the middle of the night to go party in town, from what Mike'd heard it had happened before. Pulling out a bobby pin Mike smirked to himself, it was always amusing to him how he could still use the skills he learned on the streets to get what he wanted now. As soon as the door was open, which was all of ten seconds these people really needed to get a better security system, he started to explore the place.

Mike quickly found the entrance and the bar but he had no desire to get a drink not to mention that it was closed. He then found the dining room, the ballroom and some of the meeting rooms. Eventually Mike came to a game room, like everything else it was locked but that wasn't as issue for Mike and soon he was exploring the different arcade game options that were available.

Harvey woke up to his alarm at 7:30, he rolled out of bed and went to wake up Mike when he noticed that Mike's bed was empty. He started searching the room, the closet and the bathroom only to come up empty, as he went to the door to check the hall he found a note stuck to the door, it was from Mike. '_Harvey, woke up and you were sleeping. Waited for you to get up but got bored so I went to explore seeing as I didn't get to last night. See you later. Mike'. _Harvey sighed, he had to go find the kid, how far could he have gone?

Harvey dressed quickly and went to the hallway fully expecting to find Mike in the hallway upset because he couldn't get out, imagine his surprise when it was empty. He went down to Jessica's room and started knocking at the door hoping that Mike had just gone to her, Mike wasn't there.

Soon both Harvey and Jessica were dressed and out in the hallway looking for Mike. It didn't take long before they came to the conclusion that Mike wasn't in the hallway anywhere. Deciding that they needed to look elsewhere Jessica brought out her key to the hallway door, only to find that it wasn't required. "So he can pick locks" Jessica said slightly annoyed.

"Apparently so" Harvey responded.

Once they were out the door they split up and started searching for Mike, it took twenty minutes before Harvey found Mike in the game room. "Mike" he called in relief.

Mike turned to Harvey, "Oh, hey you're finally up" he said.

Harvey sent a quick text to Jessica letting her know that he found Mike and where they were. "We've been looking all over for you" he said exasperated.

Mike frowned, "You could have just called" he said holding up his phone.

Harvey mentally slapped himself, why hadn't he thought of that? Harvey and Jessica kept reminding Mike that he was just a teenager and yet he was the one who had forgotten, what teenager went somewhere without their phone?

"Regardless you shouldn't have gone off" Jessica said coming into the room.

Mike shrugged, "I was bored and everyone was asleep, what else was I supposed to do?" he asked.

"I believe that's why Donna packed that backpack for you" Harvey said.

"It would have made noise, you could have woken up. I saw no harm in exploring, everyone else got to last night" Mike defended himself.

"Being bored does not give you the right to pick the lock on the door and wonder around the mansion, which you've never been to before, especially without out permission." Jessica admonished.

Mike put on his most innocent look before looking Jessica in the eye, "I didn't know the door was supposed to be locked, it was open when I went to it" he said.

Harvey scoffed but had to admit that the kid did put on a pretty good act, "Nice try kid" he said grabbing Mike's upper arm, gently, and leading him out towards the dining room.

"But I wasn't done with the game" Mike argued as he was led away.

"Well, you'll have time to come back later but right now it's time for breakfast" Harvey said as they headed out. Once they got close enough to hear the others Harvey let Mike go so that he wouldn't be embarrassed.

Mike took the freedom as an OK to go and join the other associates; he should have known that wouldn't be allowed. Mike sighed as Jessica put her hand on his back and redirected him towards the partner's table between her and Harvey, apparently they weren't about to let up on eating while they were on their retreat. Oh well it was a long shot anyway.

"You look well rested" Douglas said to Mike as they sat down.

"I wasn't allowed in the bar so I had an earlier night" Mike shrugged.

"True, you were the only one not there" Peterson said as he joined them.

"Mike's too young to be allowed in a bar" Harvey said.

Peterson looked confused so Mike decided to help out, "I'm only eighteen" he said.

"Oh, I didn't know that" Peterson said, "I was only informed that you were the youngest associate we'd ever had"

"I thought you knew. The e-mail said he was the kid that tested out of Harvard, what did you think that meant?" another senior partner, Jefferson, asked joining them. The breakfast was served at this point and conversation slowed down but didn't stop as they ate.

"I thought the e-mail was exaggerating, just saying that he was young. I didn't think the firm would hire a kid, let alone the great Harvey Specter" Peterson defended.

"I hire the best regardless of age, so long as they have the degree and the brain I'm happy" Harvey said.

"Yeah, well, I have to admit, the kid's good Harvey. I've never seen an associate work as fast as he does, or as well" Douglas complemented.

Mike kept quiet during this conversation, it was between the senior partners and he wasn't welcome even if it was about him. He couldn't help but feel a bit of pride as they all started to agree that Mike worked the best out of all of the associates.

"So, I don't suppose you'd be up for a trade?" Hooper asked.

Harvey smirked, "I have no intentions in trading Mike. I don't trade the best for less than" he answered.

The other partners laughed at that before going back to their bantering. As the meal came to a close Jessica handed Mike his antibiotic pill and watched him take it before standing up to address the whole room.

Standing up Jessica got the attention of the room "I hope everyone enjoyed their meal. As tradition, we will be starting off the retreat with the annual IQ test. Bragging rights are awarded to the highest score and the scores stay until next year. If you would all head into meeting room one we'll get started." Jessica said.

Everyone filed out talking about where they fell last year and about how much better they'd do this year. Mike was the only one who was a bit hesitant, he had never taken an IQ test before but if it was anything like every other test he'd ever taken he'd get a perfect score and have it done in five minutes. He didn't think it would be a good idea for him to outshine all of the other associates nor the partners so he would have to get some wrong, man he hated tests.

Harvey noticed Mike's irritation when Jessica announced the test. "Mike, you're to do your best" he told Mike.

Mike looked up at Harvey, "I don't think that's such a good idea" he told the man.

Harvey put his hand on Mike's shoulder and held him back, "Mike, everyone knows who you are, they know that you're smart and it would look bad if you didn't score well not to mention that I don't want you trying to hide who you really are. Your brain is nothing to be ashamed of and you need to stop trying to hide yourself from everyone." He said.

"Whenever I show my full mind people tend to hate me" Mike said.

Harvey sighed, he had a feeling that was part of the issue, "They're jealous Mike, nothing else, I don't want you to hide yourself anymore. Everyone at the firm knows and you were just being praised and begged for by some of the most important people there so clearly you won't be shunned." Harvey said, he could see Mike thinking through and went for the kill, "I want you to promise me that you'll do your absolute best on the IQ test" he ordered.

"Fine, I promise" Mike sighed out.

Harvey and Mike were the last ones in the room and they ended up with seats away from each other, Harvey towards the back next to Louis and Mike towards the front nest to Nash. Once they were seated Jessica started the timer and sat down settling in for a long wait. Not even ten minutes later she noticed Mike fidgeting in his seat and looking around.

"Mr. Ross you need to keep your eyes on your own test" Jessica said.

Mike looked over at her, "I'm not cheating" he said.

"Then what are you doing?" Jessica asked.

"Looking to see if anyone else is done" Mike answered.

Everyone's heads looked up at that, none of them had ever heard of someone finishing so fast. Jessica stood up and went over to Mike picking up his test to see for herself. She gaped at him, "Very well then" she said.

As she started walking away Mike called out to her, "Does this mean I can go?" he asked.

Jessica looked at him, the kid was fidgeting in his seat already he'd never make it the rest of the hour. "Very well, you may head to the game room" she said.

Mike was out the door in a second not even waiting to hear if there were further instructions. The room sat in stunned silence for a moment before they all got back to work. The rest of them took almost the full hour to finish, if they finished, and then sat patiently waiting for the results. Jessica put the answer sheets into the machine and waited for them to print out before passing a sheet to everyone.

It was no real surprise when Mike's name was listed at the top. What was a surprise was Mike's score, it was 203. The next person on the list was a senior partner named Callister; his score was 178, that was a 25-point gap. The rest of them were named farther down. Harvey was number four at 169 which wasn't bad, he was pleased with his results but Mike's was a real shocker.

"Guess that's why the kid's always so active" Callister said to Harvey as they were all filing out of the room.

"What do you mean?" Harvey asked.

"With a mind like Mike's it's got to be hard for the kid to keep busy. I bet he gets bored quickly?" Callister said.

Harvey was about to dispute him when he stopped to think about it. Mike had always been busy while working but , as proven in the past week or so, Mike was also quick to become agitated when he didn't have something to do and it wasn't always easy finding something that would keep him occupied for a good length of time. Reading was something that he could do for hours on end without stopping and he could work the same way but otherwise. Mike enjoyed the video games and the movies but he could never stick with just one for more than an hour and a half before becoming bored and changing it out. He worked on the puzzles but they never took him very long. "Yeah he does" Harvey said a bit surprised.

"Hadn't noticed it yet huh?" Callister asked chuckling a bit.

"I just thought he was being a teenager" Harvey answered.

"Yeah, everyone thought that I had ADD, which I actually do but not to the extent that they thought I was just bored. My mind worked faster than others and it was annoying to have to wait for them to catch up" Callister said. "If it was that bad for me I can't even imagine what it's like for Mike"

Harvey was a bit stunned, he'd never known that. While yes he became bored if he didn't find something intriguing he also didn't have to hard a time doing so. Mike on the other hand got bored a lot and it had to get old quickly. "Thanks" he said as he walked away to collect his associate.

"Not a problem, just let me know if you need anything" Callister said slapping Harvey on the back and walking away.

"Will do" Harvey responded and he couldn't help but wonder if he just might need the man's advice at some point when it came to keeping Mike's mind busy because apparently that was going to be harder than he thought.

As Harvey walked to the game room he couldn't help but go over Mike's behavior since he'd started working for him. At first Mike had just seemed like every other associate only faster, better. Mike would get through the work quickly and efficiently and then look for more to do but he would work himself to the bone and not bat an eye. Mike was worn out, tired, hungry and it had to have taken a toll on his mind as well so the associate Harvey had been dealing with wasn't necessarily the best that Mike Ross was. At the start of the past week, when Mike was forced to relax in the office rather than work he had been quick to boredom unless he was reading. When he wasn't reading he would find something to do but stop after a few hours and irritate Harvey again. As the week progressed and Mike was able to catch up on his sleep, his arm was healing and he was eating regularly Harvey had found that Mike got bored faster. When Mike went back to work Harvey had left him ten briefs and for four hours of work that should have kept Mike busy the entire time, it always had in the past, but Mike had completed it in half the time and complained of boredom when he got back to Harvey's office (after having dealt with the Hardman issue and taken his nap). Harvey had to admit that Mike seemed sharper now than he had which was amazing however it also meant that the kid's mind would need more stimulation or Mike would find other ways to occupy it. Harvey cringed as he remembered how Mike had cured his boredom yesterday when Harvey and Jessica had gone to a meeting leaving Donna to watch Mike.

Mike had been in Harvey's office with Donna at her desk and she hadn't kept as close an eye as she should have. Mike had been reading a book when Harvey left but apparently the kid had finished it and the next one in that series was in Jessica's office, rather than ask Donna for it Mike had looked around for something to do. He had tired the games and the movies but apparently those hadn't been appealing enough since when Harvey got back he found Mike on the floor hunched over Harvey's phone, the DVD player and the Gameboy, all of which were in pieces and he was building his very own video camera out of them. Harvey had been impressed when Mike had actually managed to record a whole ten seconds of video before it stopped working but that didn't mean Mike had been off the hook. Harvey had made Mike put everything back together, thankful for that eidetic memory, and then made him stand in the corner for ten minutes after a rather long lecture. Mike had apologized and cited boredom as his reason for doing it. Harvey hadn't been impressed.

Harvey found Mike in the game room on a different game than he had been that morning and wondered how many Mike had tried already. Would it take long before Mike grew bored of the game room? And if so what was Harvey going to do with him then?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Harvey cleared his throat to get Mike's attention; the kid jerked his head up looking over at Harvey. "How did you hear me with those ear buds in?" Harvey asked, he hadn't noticed them at first.

Mike shrugged, "I never keep them loud, I always like to know when someone's nearby" he answered.

"Right" Harvey said. He should have known Mike wouldn't let his guard down even with his music. "So the IQ results are in" he said conversationally.

"Who came in second?" Mike asked.

Harvey watched the kid, he wasn't being cocky and he wasn't joking he just knew. "How'd you know?" he asked.

"You told me" Mike answered.

Harvey look confused at that. "I hadn't said anything about the results" he said.

Mike snorted, "I don't mean verbally, I mean that when you talked about the results you showed pride but it wasn't at yourself, the only other people you would take pride in getting the highest score is Jessica, who didn't take the test, and me. I also know that I had to have scored up there since I didn't get a single question wrong" Mike answered.

Harvey was a bit stunned, he had always thought that Mike was rather bad at reading people given that he was so naive but then how had Mike survived the streets for seven years if that was true? Harvey mentally slapped himself as he figured it out, "It's not nice to play your boss" he admonished lightly.

Mike smirked, "You would never have hired me if you'd known the truth" he said.

"Fine, but, don't hide your true abilities again. Your intelligence is known and respected and you don't need to lie anymore. Understood?" he said.

Mike studied Harvey for a minute, "Understood" he said nodding. He didn't know if he would actually show all of himself to anyone but he understood what Harvey was saying.

Harvey sighed, he'd recognized the statement for what it was, an appeasement. For the time that would have to do, he knew that he couldn't change Mike needed to come to understand that they weren't going to judge or leave him just because of his past or his mind but that would take time and consistency. "Callister with 178" he answered Mike's original question.

"Not bad" Mike said.

"Yeah, it was a 25 point gap between yours and his" Harvey said proudly. Mike hadn't asked about his own score and Harvey wanted him to know what it was as well as the fact that it was a good thing.

Mike looked down and nodded, "So… What are we doing now?" he asked.

"Everyone's heading out to the grounds, I do believe that it's time for the baseball game" Harvey answered.

"Baseball game?" Mike asked skeptically.

"Yep, every day is a different sport" Harvey answered as he led the way out to the yard, "You ever play baseball before?" he asked.

"Yeah, Harvey I've played baseball" Mike answered rolling his eyes.

"Well I wasn't certain" Harvey said.

"I've played just about all of the basics. Baseball, basketball, football, and soccer were the most popular at Backden Park" Mike answered.

Harvey stopped, "Backden Park?" he asked.

"Yeah" Mike shrugged, "There 'least three time a week as a kid" he answered.

"Why would you go there that often?" Harvey asked resuming his walk toward the yard.

"To play sports Harvey, keep up" Mike answered in typical teenage fashion, the one where they act as though they know everything and the adults are idiots.

"You play sports Ross?" Duncan, a fellow associate, asked.

"I've played with some friends before as a kid" Mike answered.

"You any good?" Duncan asked.

Mike shrugged, "Just did it for fun and to kill time, never paid much attention to talent" he said.

Duncan shook his head and smirked as he walked away. He didn't want a loser on his team so he took his exit when Harvey had started handing out equipment.

Mike took the bat Harvey handed him; it was similar to the stick that they had used. When Harvey handed him a baseball he couldn't help but be impressed, "We're actually using a real baseball?" he asked.

Harvey stopped what he was doing and stood up the glove he was about to hand Mike dangling in his hand, "I thought you said you'd played before" Harvey said a bit hesitantly.

"I have" Mike said, "We just never had a real baseball to play with, we'd always wound a bunch or sticks and twine up into a ball" he explained and started walking off.

"Uh, Mike, where are you going?" Harvey asked.

"To play baseball" Mike answered in that lovely teenager voice again.

"Forget something?" Harvey asked holding up the glove.

Mike looked confused for a moment before he seemed to understand, "We're using gloves to?" he asked amazed.

Harvey had to work hard to stop himself from showing the pity that he felt for Mike, while he had gotten to play with his 'friends' but he had basically played stick ball in one of the worst parks in New York. What kid was amazed by getting to use a real baseball or a glove? "Yeah kid we're using gloves too" Harvey answered quietly.

Mike took the glove impressed; he quickly tried to put it on only slipping up once before successfully getting all of the right fingers in the correct holes. He gave Harvey a triumphant smile when he was done.

"Everyone ready?" Jessica asked walking to the middle of the field.

Everybody moved to form a semi circle around Jessica. Hardman walked up and joined her (he had driven up separately after Jessica had informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he was to leave Mike Ross alone and since Mike would be on the bus then Hardman could either ride with the associates or make his own arrangements). Mike moved closer to Harvey when he saw Hardman, something that didn't go unnoticed by either Harvey or Jessica. "Let's start by picking teams, now these teams are going to be the ones you are stuck with for the entire time so learn to get along with each other" Jessica said.

Hardman told Jessica "Ladies first" and then stepped over a bit so that they could each have their teams come group behind them without getting intertwined.

Jessica nodded to Hardman and then choose "Harvey" she didn't want Hardman to call him and she knew that he wouldn't call Mike unless he had a death wish. Harvey started walking over to Jessica but was stopped by a hand gripping the back of his shirt tightly. He turned back to Mike and was about to say something when Jessica spoke up. "You know why don't we say that the senior partners take their associates with them to their teams that way we will have the same number of senior partners and we will have groups that have some similarity with each other" Hardman suggested.

Everyone nodded their agreement and Hardman shot her an understanding look to show he got the message.

Jessica smiled, "Very well, then I'll take Harvey and Mike" she said. Harvey once again started walking towards Jessica with Mike in tow but no longer clinging to him. They stood as far away from Hardman as they could to make Mike more comfortable.

It didn't take long before everyone was put into teams and they flipped for who was batting first. Jessica's team won that and so Harvey led Mike to the bench in their dugout and set the kid between himself and Jessica. "Do you know how to use a glove?" Harvey whispered to Mike.

Mike looked over at Harvey and then down at his glove, he opened and closed it a few times before looking back, "I know the basic idea" he answered.

Jessica had been listening to the conversation and could have kicked herself, she should have realized, Mike would have probably had little to no experience with this sort of thing, "Mike, you don't have to play" she said.

Mike shot her a look, he could tell what she was thinking, "I've played stickball loads of times, I've just never gotten to play with a real ball a real bat or a glove before, that's all" he said, "my childhood wasn't all horrible you know" he finished a bit snarkily, he was sick of the two of them acting as though his past had been nothing but pain and suffering.

Harvey thought for a few seconds then leaned over to Mike to talk to Jessica, "Put Mike and I at the bottom of the list" he said. Jessica nodded and then Harvey stood up, grabbed Mike's arm and led him out of the dugout and off to the side.

"What's up?" Mike asked confused.

Harvey pointed a bit away, "Stand over there" he said.

Mike looked confused but stood where Harvey pointed, "OK" he said holding his arms out. He looked over to the dugout and saw that some people were turning to watch them.

Harvey shot the gawkers a withering glare and they soon turned around and focused on the game. He turned back to Mike, "Catch" he said as he threw the ball, lightly, to Mike.

Mike missed the ball with his glove but caught it in his hand. He then threw the ball back to Harvey. "Why are we doing this?" he asked.

Harvey caught the ball with his glove easily, Mike could throw although it was a little off, probably due to the difference in the type of ball than what he was familiar with. "You need to catch the ball with your glove" Harvey instructed. He then threw the ball back to Mike.

Mike almost caught it but missed, "This is stupid, why can't I just catch it with my hands like I always do?" Mike asked a bit annoyed. He threw the ball back to Harvey.

"Catching a real baseball with your hands isn't safe, you could break a few bones doing so. Keep the glove in front of the ball and close it as soon as you feel the tip of the ball on the tip of your glove" Harvey instructed throwing the ball back to Mike.

Mike managed to catch the ball this time but just barely. "I've never broken a bone before" he said as he threw the ball back to Harvey.

"You've never played with a real ball before either" Harvey responded. "Keep the glove in front of the ball" Harvey instructed.

They went on like this until it was time for their team to go out onto the field. Mike had gotten a lot better and had actually been doing really well. When they got out onto the field Harvey placed Mike in the outfield and was pleasantly surprised when Mike showed that he understood the way the game worked and he wasn't half bad.

The game progressed from there. Harvey took Mike out to play catch during the first three innings while they were at bat and the kid learned quickly, bit shock there. Mike had managed to catch numerous balls thrown, and once hit, to him and he had also proven to be really good at batting, and had managed a hit almost every time at bat. By noon the game was wrapped up, Jessica's team won the game 7 to 5 and they all headed in to eat lunch.

"You're pretty good" Harvey complemented Mike as they walked back to the mansion.

Mike shrugged, "It's a lot easier than stick ball" he said.

"And how's that?" Harvey asked a bit confused.

"The ball is bigger than the one we used, the bat is bigger and the glove makes it so that your hand doesn't hurt and you can play longer plus the ball heavier so it will go farther when you throw it" Mike explained.

Harvey had to admit he was impressed, "That's a lot of reasons" he said finally.

Mike shrugged again as they all sat down to lunch. Mike looked at the plate put in front of him and then at everyone else's, he noticed that he had less on his plate than the rest, it made since, Mike wasn't known for eating and he tended to refuse to eat if there was too much on his plate. This time however Mike actually wanted more, he had been feeling this odd pain in his stomach since the last inning of the game. It wasn't a sharp pain or a bad one, it was rather slight but still it was a nuisance. He had been debating about asking Harvey about it after lunch but it had gone away not long after he'd started eating.

Mike looked up from his plate once he was done, he wanted more but he didn't see any more on the table. He started looking around the room to see if there was any food on another table but was having little success. "What's up?" Harvey asked when he noticed Mike's odd behavior.

Mike fidgeted in his seat, he'd never asked for any food before the only conversations being him refusing to eat rather than wanting more. "Um…" he said. A few of the others at the table had turned their attention to Harvey and Mike and Mike couldn't help the tint that came to the tips of his ears.

"What?" Harvey asked confused.

"Is… Is there any way to… to uh… get" Mike said trying to figure out how to ask for more food, he'd never done it before.

"You want more to eat?" Jessica asked a bit surprised.

Mike nodded hesitantly and looked down at his plate. "Kid must have worked up quite an appetite during the game" Nash chuckled. The rest of the partners grinned and then turned their attention back to the previous conversations.

Harvey and Jessica grinned and Jessica flagged down a waiter. Soon Mike was finishing his second serving and lunch was coming to an end. Jessica stood up to address the room, "Alright, there are four different seminars available starting in half an hour, they will be repeated twice so pick which two you would like to attend and then head out. Each one is an hour and a half with an hour break in between" she said, "Dinner will be served directly after and then the rest of the night will be yours"

Everyone started to clear out grabbing a sheet outlining the four seminars as they went. Mike, Harvey and Jessica all filed out as well, Mike stopped to grab a sheet and pick a seminar to start with. As he read the descriptions he couldn't help but bring his fist up to rub his eye, the gesture didn't go unnoticed by either Harvey or Jessica.

Mike finished studying the paper and looked up to face the other two, "So which one do you want to start with?" he asked hiding a yawn.

Jessica grinned, he was such a kid, "Why don't we go up to the room while we decide which to attend" she said. She was going to let Mike go to a seminar but it would be the second one only, both she and Harvey had learned last night that Mike really did need his nap during the day.

Mike nodded and followed up to the room he was sharing with Harvey, they passed others going to their own rooms to shower after getting rather dirty during the game. Once they got in the room Jessica took a good look at Mike, his pants had a dirt stain on them from where he'd slid into home during the second to last inning and he was doing his best to hide the fact that he was tired. Making her decision she walked over to Mike's suitcase and started pulling out some clean clothes, "You need a shower" she said handing the clothes over to Mike.

Mike sighed but couldn't exactly refute what she was saying, he had actually gotten dirtier than any other person out there but he'd had fun. He took the clothes and headed into the restroom, "We need to head out to the seminars soon though, the best ones could be filled before we get there" he said. There had been one about cyber security and he was hoping that they'd let the people there to test them out on the computers; he wanted to see if he could bust any security that they had.

"We're not letting him miss his nap are we?" Harvey asked as soon as the shower started.

"Of course not, he'll take his nap during the first seminar, take a break during the hour between and then he'll attend the second time" Jessica explained.

"You didn't make it sound that way" Harvey said.

"I didn't want to have a fight in the middle of the dining room" Jessica said.

"He wouldn't have thrown a fit in front of everyone" Harvey retorted.

"He's tired Harvey, he isn't thinking as clearly as he does when he's rested and he very well could have thrown a fit in front of everyone. He's going to be more relaxed outside of prying eyes" Jessica reasoned.

Harvey sighed but had to admit that she had a point. "Fine but you're dealing with him" he said.

"Fine" Jessica agreed.

Mike came out of the bathroom a few minutes later and looked at the two of them while rubbing his fist in his eye again. "So which one do you want to start with?" he asked.

"Which one do you want to attend?" Jessica asked.

"I was thinking the cyber security one might be amusing" Mike said shyly. "You guys can pick the other one" he finished.

"We'll go to the cyber one later then" Jessica said.

"OK, then which one are we starting with?" Mike asked. He wasn't naive, he'd known as soon as Jessica mentioned seminars that he'd have to stay with her and Harvey he'd had to so far and he doubted this would change.

"Mike, you're not going to the first seminar, you're going to rest" Jessica said in a tone that commanded obedience.

"But I thought we were going to the seminars" Mike said in a slightly whiny voice.

"There was only one seminar that you wanted to see and you're tired" Jessica tried to reason.

"I wanted to see all of them, there was just one that I really wanted to see" Mike complained.

"Mike, you need to rest" Jessica said.

"I don't need to rest" Mike said stamping his foot for emphasis.

"Mike, I'm not playing this game, you will either stop this fit and get into bed now or you will stand in the corner for ten minutes and then get into bed" Jessica said.

"No!" Mike said, "I'm tired of being treated like a child"

Jessica had hoped that this would well but she had known that Mike would fight her. "You are a child Mike" she said.

"I'm not a child!" Mike exclaimed, "I've never been a child" he said.

And there in lied the problem. Mike had never been allowed a childhood, he'd been forced to grow up way too quickly and everything Jessica had read on the subject (she'd done some research after learning about Mike's past) had said that it wasn't healthy. All of the books said that eventually Mike would have to go through the emotional parts of being a child, everyone went through them for a reason and no matter how badly people wanted to they couldn't skip it without repercussions. It was one of the reasons that Mike so quickly started acting like a child whenever he felt safe or relaxed or he was treated like one. It was also the reason that Mike was now throwing a mini tantrum because he didn't want to take a nap. "Corner" she ordered. She understood why Mike was throwing a mini tantrum but that didn't mean that it was going to be allowed to continue.

"NO!" Mike almost yelled.

Harvey was about to step in but he knew that Jessica needed to get a handle on this or else she'd have no control over Mike so he decided to hold his tongue for a little while longer.

"Mike, I will wait as long as you but know that you will not be allowed in the seminars without my permission nor will you be allowed out of this mansion unless I allow it so if you think you will win here then by all means try me otherwise go stand in the corner" Jessica said calmly but with promise.

Mike studied Jessica for a minute, discerning if she was telling the truth. He didn't want to be singled out from everyone else even though, deep down, he knew that he was different. He was younger and he was smarter and that seemed to warrant special treatment no matter how much he protested. He knew however that Jessica would keep to her word and he would be mortified if he got kicked out of a seminar in front of everyone because he refused to take a na… a rest. He sighed, he was screwed and he knew it so resignedly he headed over to the corner knowing he wasn't going to win this one.

After ten agonizingly long minutes Mike was finally let out and then he was made to go to bed. Harvey pulled out some work and took a seat at the desk in the room; he wasn't going to leave lest Mike have a nightmare. Jessica headed out to the first seminar; she would be staying with Mike tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 11

**OK so I have up to chapter 22 written so, without having to wait for someone to check for errors, there will be postings more often for a time. When I catch up to what I'm writing it'll slow down a bit. Also any names or places that I come up with, such as the park mentioned in the last chapter, are complete fiction. I have no idea it these places actually exist and if they do know that they are not the one's I mention here. I have created these places, they are based off of nothing. **

Chapter 11

Mike slept peacefully for an hour and a half; he woke up right before Jessica came back into the room. He stretched as he sat up and he, begrudgingly, had to admit to himself that he felt really good and that, maybe, the rest hadn't been a bad idea.

"Sleep well?" Jessica asked as she shut the door.

Mike gave her a small glare but otherwise didn't respond as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's three. We have an hour before the next seminar starts" Jessica answered.

Mike nodded and then stood up. He bent down and put on his shoes before heading to the door. "Where are you going?" Harvey asked.

"To see if the partners have work they need done" Mike answered as though it were obvious.

Harvey debated as to whether he should let Mike go or stop him and have him do something to amuse himself. He knew that Mike needed to have time to have fun at some point throughout the day or he'd become agitated. The options were to either let Mike go now and then make him relax after supper or Mike would relax now and then work later. Which was better? He looked at Mike, the kid hadn't been happy when he was told he couldn't go to the seminar and they were supposed to be on a retreat not to mention that after supper the partners tended to relax and have drinks and the associates were working, he'd been keeping Mike with the partners schedule so that it would be easier, why stop now. "Fine, I'll meet you at the cyber security seminar in fifty minutes" he said.

Mike was a bit surprised but he smiled and headed out quickly before Harvey or Jessica could change their minds. He hadn't gotten to the end of the hallway when he was stopped by Nash, "Mike!" he called out.

Mike turned and saw Nash coming towards him with a stack of five briefs in his hand. "Want me to proof those for you?" Mike asked gesturing to the briefs.

"That would be great" Nash said holding them out.

Mike took them, "What room are you in?" he asked.

"Room 115" Nash answered.

Mike nodded and headed back to his own room he was stopped along the way by a different senior partner, Patricks, "Mike right?" the man asked.

"Yeah" Mike answered.

"I've herd that you're the one to go to if I needed some work done" Patricks said.

"Uh, I guess, I'm happy to do whatever you have but I have to finish this for Nash first" Mike said holding up the briefs that he'd just been handled.

"Ah, well, when you finish those take a look at these and then get them back to me, I'm in room 122" Patricks said. He then pushed four briefs on Mike and then turned and went back into his own room.

Mike was a bit shocked but headed back to the room anyway; there wasn't much he could do about it. Mike walked into the room, stopped at the desk and pulled grabbed a couple highlighters and pens from Harvey's stash, pulled out his i-pod and headphones and sat down, cross legged, on the bed.

Harvey had ignored Mike when he walked in with work, he was a little surprised that the kid had come back so soon but then he shouldn't have been Mike had impressed all the partners on the bus and then he'd scored highest on the test so his name would be known. He had been slightly agitated when Mike had just reached over Harvey and taken what he needed rather than ask for it but Harvey didn't say anything. He worked with Jessica until it was time to head down to the seminar at which time they both gathered up their things and then looked to Mike expectantly.

Mike was so engrossed in his work that he hadn't been paying attention to the time, or much of anything other than the work for that matter. He was doing his best to get the work done on time and as best he could, he had become so comfortable that he hadn't even been paying attention to his surroundings, which was unusual for him. He never felt safe enough to lower his guard and yet here he was, with Harvey and Jessica in the room with him and he was startled by a hand on his shoulder.

Mike jumped when Harvey touched his shoulder and he couldn't help but to silently berate himself for the slip up. "What's up?" he asked as he looked up at Harvey and took one ear bud out of his ear.

"It's time to go" Harvey answered. He stopped to look over the amount of work that Mike had in front of him, "I told you, you had fifty minutes to work. Why did you take on all of this?" Harvey asked.

"I got the first five" Mike gestured to a pile that he had finished, they were mostly thin and hadn't taken too long "from Nash and then when I was coming back to start Patricks stopped me and gave me three more" Mike finished gesturing down to the pile in front of him, the bottom one was the thickest and the first that Mike had finished. He was working on the second one now and the last one was relatively thin. "I just need another half hour and I'll have these done" Mike said as an after thought going back to work.

Harvey took the brief from Mike's hand. "Hey!" Mike said as his head shot up and he reached for the file.

"Why did you take on more than you could complete in the time I gave you?" Harvey asked again firmer this time.

"I didn't" Mike answered.

"It looks like you did" Jessica responded joining in.

"No, I took the briefs from Nash, Patricks pushed his into my hands after" Mike said, "I'm almost done"

"We need to go, you're not going to work on this now" Harvey said.

"I can take it with me" Mike said.

"No, but you'll be allowed to finish them after supper. This is the **only** day that you'll be allowed to work after supper and from now on one of us will be checking over what you get to make sure that you're not taking too much" Jessica said.

"That's not fair" Mike argued.

"Mike we don't have time for this, I would hate to have to show up late to a seminar because we had to wait for you to get out of the corner" Harvey said.

Mike didn't say anything more, he just glared at Harvey and Jessica then got up and headed for the door. Harvey and Jessica shared a look and then the three headed out.

The seminar went well until Mike volunteered, he was given the chance to go up against one of the IT guys to get around the mansion's security system, Mike won. The seminar had been about how to detect when someone was trying to break in and how to better protect yourself against it, there were two other IT guys who were supposed to be showing what to look for, what they hadn't anticipated was that Mike had some experience (maybe not entirely legal but he had never done anything horrible with his skill he'd just been bored and stuck in a section of the library full of computer building, code writing and computer hacking books as well as a few computers) with the topic. Mike's hack hadn't been detected and Harvey and Jessica had then had to pull Mike out so that the seminar could continue because everyone was berating him with questions and no one was actually getting anything out of it.

"Sorry about that" Mike said as soon as they were out of the room, "I didn't think it would be such a big deal"

"Where the hell did you learn how to hack computers?" Harvey asked.

"Library" Mike answered in that lovely teenager voice, oh how Harvey was getting to know that one.

"You learned how to do that from a book in the library?" Jessica asked skeptically.

"No, I learned how to do that from multiple books and from practicing on the computers all of which are available in a public library" Mike answered slowly as though the two of them weren't all that bright.

Harvey was growing tired of Mike's 'teenager tone' as he had taken to calling it. It had showed up more and more throughout the past couple of days and he really wanted it to go away but at the same time it was a sign that Mike was becoming comfortable around them if he was willing to drop some of his guard (even if it was to be sarcastic) and act his age for once. "Why would you study computer hacking?" he asked.

"Because it was the next obvious step after having studied computer design, computer security and computer code" Mike answered again with the teenager tone.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" Harvey asked sarcastically.

They arrived at the room this point, Mike went over to the bed and started in on his work while Harvey and Jessica sat down to get back to work. They had been working quietly for about ten minutes before Harvey's phone rang, "Hello" he answered, "Hi, Donna" he said smirking and shooting a glance at Mike, "Yes Donna he's fine… No I haven't killed him yet… no he hasn't been skipping meals… Yes I've kept him entertained… What? No he didn't do anything illegal he was asked to hack into the mansion's server. How do you even know about that?... Yes I know that you're Donna" Harvey said. Jessica smirked as he listened to one side of the conversation.

Mike had been listening in on the conversation as he worked and he couldn't help the smile that came to his lips, Donna was good. Harvey shot Mike a look when he saw the kid smiling, "Here if you want to know how the kid is doing so badly talk to him yourself " Harvey said holding the phone out to Mike.

At first Mike pretended not to have heard but he could feel Harvey's glare on him and he soon had to give in and took the phone glaring at Harvey as he did so. It was a half hour before Donna was satisfied that Mike wasn't being starved, bored to tears or breaking the law and Mike was finally allowed to hang up. "Thanks a lot Harvey" Mike said snidely when he finally hung up the phone and threw it back at Harvey with more force than necessary.

Harvey caught the phone and smirked but didn't comment. They all went back to work after that and the peaceful environment lasted for a whole 25 minutes until Mike interrupted.

Harvey and Jessica had been discussing an upcoming deal for Tom Keller when Mike decided to be nosy. "So I'm meeting with him the third Monday after we get back and then we'll go from there" Harvey said closing the folder in front of him happy to be finished for the day.

"We're meeting with Tom?" Mike asked.

Harvey turned to him, "I thought you were working" he said.

"Finished, so when are we meeting with Tom?" Mike asked again.

"We're not meeting with 'Tom'. I'm meeting with Keller on Monday and you're going to be working" Harvey answered.

"What! Why am I not going?" Mike asked.

"Harvey.." Jessica started. She didn't know what had happened between Mike and Keller when they first met so she didn't understand why Harvey was against it.

"No," Harvey said to Jessica to stop her, "Mike you know why you're not going to the meeting"

"It was one time! He requested me to be on his team and I won't do it again" Mike argued.

"Do what again?" Jessica asked but she was ignored.

"It shouldn't have happened at all so whether or not he asked for you doesn't matter because I don't want you anywhere near Keller" Harvey said.

"What's going on!" Jessica said loudly demanding attention.

"Nothing" Mike answered quickly.

Harvey didn't let it slide though, he knew that Jessica would make him take Mike to the meeting because Keller had requested Mike so Harvey decided to tell Jessica the truth "Mike got Keller to like him by getting high with the man" Harvey told Jessica ignoring the heated glare being sent his way by the kid on the bed.

"He did what!" Jessica exclaimed, she turned to Mike, "You got high?" she asked.

"Um…" Mike stuttered, "I didn't have a choice" he blurted out. Jessica was scary when she wanted to be and right now she could make a hardened killer confess to anything.

"What does that mean?" Jessica asked.

"He was pressured into doing it, I've already dealt with the situation but I still don't want him in the same room with Keller" Harvey answered. He had wanted Jessica to know but he'd already dealt with Louis and Mike so there was no reason to go into it again, at least not right now, he'd tell Jessica later that evening when she had calmed down enough.

Jessica took a deep breath to calm herself before turning to Mike, "We will be discussing this at a later time" she said.

"What! Why? Harvey's already yelled at me for it, it's been dealt with" Mike argued.

Jessica looked to Harvey for confirmation, he gave a nod, "Alright fine, but, if you get high again you'll be grounded for a month, no TV, no video games, no computers, just work, chores and sitting is that understood?" she said.

"What! You can't do that" Mike said.

Jessica raised her eyebrow at that, "You are under my rules remember? No employee at Pearson Hardman is allowed to do drugs, everyone else would be fired, you will be grounded keep it up though and you will be fired." She paused to let Mike argue if he wanted but made it very clear that it would get him nowhere.

Mike sighed and pouted leaning back against the headboard of the bed and crossing his arms over his chest. Jessica and Harvey had to hold in a smile at the sight, every time Mike pouted he looked every inch the child that he was and it was kind of cute even if it could be annoying at times.

"Now, as much as I agree that I don't want Mike and Keller in the same room together, you've allowed it since Keller's been with the firm and we can't change it now" Jessica said. Mike shot Harvey a boastful look but Jessica continued before either could say anything, "However, I will not allow the two of them to be left alone together at any time, one of us will need to be there at all times when the two of them are together is that understood?" she asked.

"Perfectly" Harvey answered. He wasn't thrilled that Mike would continue to be around Keller but at least it would be under strict supervision.

"That's not fair" Mike argued. He and Keller got along rather well, they had met up on occasion to play video games or watch a game and eat pizza and it was fun, Keller was proving to be a good friend and, aside from Trevor, Mike had never really had a friend, not a real one anyway.

"It's more than fair" Jessica said.

"No it's not." Mike argued.

"And why is that?" Harvey asked. He could tell there was more to this than Mike was letting on.

Mike swallowed, he hadn't told Harvey about hanging out with Tom because he guessed that Harvey wouldn't like it. "Well…" Mike started.

"Spit it out Mike" Harvey warned.

"He's my friend" Mike answered hesitantly.

"He's your what?" Harvey asked.

"He's my friend" Mike repeated quietly. He had known that this wasn't going to go over well and that was before Harvey had learned about his age, now it was going to be an explosion.

"And exactly when did the two of you become friends?" Jessica asked calmly, too calmly.

"Um… Well… You see…" Mike stuttered.

"Mike!" Harvey ordered.

"We've been hanging out a couple times a month ever since he hired the firm" Mike blurted out as quickly as he could.

It was so quick that Harvey and Jessica almost missed it, unfortunately for Mike neither did. "You What!" Harvey asked icily.

Mike gulped, "We haven't been smoking!" he hurried to assure, "We've just been hanging out, nothing more than video games, sports games, pizza and beers I swear" he said.

To say Harvey was mad was an understatement, he couldn't believe that Mike had kept this from him and also that he hadn't been able to tell even when they met with Keller, Mike really was a good actor. He glared at Mike as he put his thoughts together he just couldn't believe it. "Why is it that your friends seem to like pot so much?" he asked.

Mike looked at Harvey pleadingly when Jessica added onto that, "What do you mean his 'friends'?" she asked.

"Trevor, his other friend, the one that got him the drug dealing gig, was also a pot head. Got Mike into pot if I'm not mistaken" Harvey explained.

"Are you still in contact with Trevor?" she asked Mike.

"No" Mike answered immediately, "I haven't talked to Trevor since I told him to get lost. I know he will this time, after I threatened to ruin his life and quoted his social security number" Mike said, he'd added that last part when he saw Harvey's disbelieving look.

"Good boy" Harvey said proud that Mike had not only done as told and kept away but had also given Trevor a **very** strong incentive to stay away. Mike smiled a little at the praise but knew he wasn't off the hook so easily. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are still hanging out with Keller and even if you aren't getting high you shouldn't even be drinking" Harvey finished.

"He didn't know I was underage and you even let me drink at socials before you found out so you can't be mad at Tom for that" Mike argued.

Harvey had to give the kid that, it wasn't Keller's fault that Mike had been drinking it was Mike's but still Harvey didn't trust the guy. "How old is he?" Jessica asked before Harvey could respond.

"28" Harvey answered.

"He's too old for you to be hanging out with Mike" Jessica said.

"But that's not fair, we get along and we've been hanging out for months now. Trevor was older than me too and we got along why does the age matter?" Mike argued.

"Trevor isn't an example you want to be using. You're eighteen Mike, Keller's ten years older than you are, it's not healthy." Jessica said.

"I have no other friends" Mike complained.

Jessica and Harvey were a bit shocked at that, they really shouldn't have been though seeing as they've kept Mike with them for the past week and they had yet to see him call or talk to anyone other than the two of them and Donna unless it was about work. Rachael was the only exception and now that she knew his real age that was pretty much over with as well. "We'll work on that" Jessica said eventually.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Mike asked, "and this isn't something that you can be involved in, I don't have time outside of work so the only time I meet anyone is at work and everyone there is nine to ten years older than me at the least" Mike said.

Jessica sighed, she felt for Mike, she did but Keller was just too old and with his tendency to smoke pot he wasn't someone that she wanted Mike to be around. "We can look into sports teams or something" Jessica offered, "but you aren't going to be around Keller without supervision and that's the way it is" Jessica said in a tone that demanded an end to the conversation.

Mike huffed and went back to pouting, he could tell that this wasn't going to go well for him if he continued. So far he'd just made things worse by arguing, he now not only had to have a chaperone when he was around Tom at work but he wasn't even allowed to hang out with his only friend outside of work, "This sucks" he said.

"It'll get better Mike" Harvey tried to assure him. Mike just continued to pout and Harvey decided that the best course of action would be to let him alone. He pulled out his phone and texted Donna to see if there were any sports teams or clubs for people Mike's age that they could sign the kid up for because he really did need to have a chance to be around people his own age.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

After ten minutes of pouting Mike was bored, "Is there something to do?" he asked. Jessica had left a little bit ago so it was up to Harvey to keep the kid busy.

"Here, Donna packed you some games" Harvey said holding out the backpack.

Mike took the bag and started looking through it. Inside was his Gameboy and about ten games, a few puzzles (all a thousand pieces or more), a rubix cube, and a few books (the first three in the chronicles of Narnia series, the fourth Harry Potter book and the first five books in the 39 clues series) there was also a battle ship game and a travel guess who game. Mike pulled out the battle ship game and held it up, "Want to play?" he asked.

Harvey looked over at him, Mike looked hopeful and young sitting on the bed surrounded by toys and he couldn't help but give into the kid especially after they'd told him that he couldn't continue to hang out with his only friend so he did owe the kid. "Alright, I'll play" he agreed.

Mike's smile was a mile wide as he grabbed both the boards and brought them over. He sat down right next to Harvey and held them out to him. Harvey took one and started to set up his board but Mike kept looking over. "Mike, set up your own board" Harvey instructed. Mike opened his board and started to mimic what Harvey was doing, Harvey stopped putting his pieces on and looked over at Mike, "You're not supposed to copy me Mike" Harvey said.

"Oh" Mike said, "Well….. then…. What…" Mike started.

Harvey watched the kid, he looked genuinely confused and Harvey had to wonder, "Have you ever played battleship before?" he asked.

"No" Mike answered.

"Ah, well, the way the game works is that each of us places our five boats anywhere we want on the board. They can go horizontal or vertical but they cannot go diagonal." Mike nodded his head at this and paid complete attention, "You do not tell or show me where the boats are, once we both have our boats in place we then take turns calling out squares such as A1 you would then go to column A and check row 1. If part of one of your boats is there then you say hit and I place a red" Harvey holds up a red marker, "on the upper board on A1 and you would put a red on your boat. If it is not a hit then I put a white marker and it's your turn. We continue that way until one of us has sunk all of the others boats" Harvey stopped then and waited for Mike to either ask questions or start.

"Thanks" Mike said. He then moved over to his bed and kept his board hidden from Harvey as they both placed their boats. The game continued on from there and then a few more. In the end Mike won three games and Harvey won two.

Jessica entered the room to Harvey saying that Mike cheated and Mike laughing his head off and both of them had battle ship boards in front of them. "Looks like the two of you are having fun" she said.

Mike smiled at her, "I beat Harvey three times" he declared proudly.

"I beat you a couple times as well" Harvey said.

"A couple means two Harvey. You beat me twice I beat you three times, guess who wins" Mike said cockily with his grin still on his face.

Harvey couldn't help but smile back, "Alright smart ass, you win." Harvey gave in.

"Well I'm glad that's settled, now, it's time to head down to dinner" Jessica said.

"What?" Mike asked. He suddenly jumped up and looked around for the briefs from earlier but he couldn't find them, "Oh, no" he said.

"What's wrong?" Harvey asked.

"The briefs are gone" Mike said sorting through the mess he'd made with his 'toys'.

"Mike calm down, I took them back to Nash and Patricks earlier" Jessica said to calmly, "They were very happy with your work"

Mike stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"She was just trying to help" Harvey admonished.

"Sorry" Mike said to Jessica.

Jessica nodded her head then looked around the room. Harvey's bed, the desk and the middle of the room were all clean however Mike's bed and the area surrounding it were a complete mess. "Well, we'll head down to eat as soon as you" she pointed at Mike, "clean up your mess"

"Oh" Mike said. He quickly started putting the items back into the backpack. It took no more than five minutes before Mike was done and had his bed made.

"You're a lot better at this than most boys your age" Harvey said somewhat impressed. From his experience, which admittedly is next to none, teenagers weren't the neatest people and they also weren't that good at cleaning but Mike had not only put all of the items back into the bag the same as he'd found them but he'd also made the bed.

Mike shrugged, "Got used to it when I moved in with Grammy, she liked a neat home but she was too old to really do it herself so I took over for her" he explained.

Both Harvey and Jessica nodded in understanding and then let the subject drop, Mike was very protective of his grandmother and it wasn't a topic he discussed lightly. "Well, let's head down to supper" Harvey said breaking the silence.

Mike nodded and started to follow them out. "Do you want a larger portion tonight or your usual size?" Jessica asked. She had been happy that Mike had asked for more at lunch but she also figured it had something to do with the fact that they'd been out playing baseball right before. She had already let the kitchen know to give Mike more at lunch but she was uncertain if he'd be just as hungry at dinner especially since he'd been cooped up in a room all day.

Mike thought about it honestly for a moment, "There'll be a desert right?" he asked.

"Yes" Harvey answered.

"Then no. If I'm still hungry then I'll just eat a bigger desert" Mike concluded.

Harvey smiled at this, it was his kind of answer. Jessica however had a different opinion. "I don't think so. More sugar so late at night isn't healthy. I tell you what, I'll have a larger portion served and you need to eat two thirds of it at least. It is the same amount as you would get and then if you're still hungry you will have more to eat" Jessica offered.

"Fine, I still say my idea is better though" Mike said and he sulked the rest of the way to the dining room.

Harvey had to work really hard not to laugh, he was such a kid, Jessica on the other hand wasn't all that amused. She had to admit that it was a typical teenage response but still, she wanted Mike to eat more real food not junk and she wasn't about to encourage unhealthy habits.

They all sat down to eat and the meal did go well. Mike, surprisingly, ate all of the food put in front of him, which pleased Harvey and Jessica immensely. He took his antibiotic before desert came. Desert was apple pie and ice cream so that, naturally, was eaten quickly, not even crumbs were left.

Once supper was over everyone filed out and then gathered in different groups in the lobby area. Mike was debating as to whether he should go and join the associates, who at this point probably hated him seeing as how he has been kept with the senior partners for the entire trip, or if he should stay with Harvey and Jessica. If he stayed with Harvey and Jessica he would also be with the senior partners who would either expect him to stand their quietly or give him work. He eventually made up his mind and slipped away from Harvey and Jessica and made his way over to the other associates.

He stood next to the group listening to their conversations and trying to stay out of the way but he was noticed quickly. "Well Golden Boy, get tired of hanging around with big dogs or did they just get tired of hanging out with you?" Gregory asked snidely.

"Just thought I'd see what you were up to" Mike answered.

The other associates were shooting him questioning looks but Gregory and his little group had smirks plastered on their faces, "So they got sick of you? About time" Gregory said.

"And why's that?" Harvey asked coming up behind them. He hadn't noticed that Mike had wondered off until a few minutes ago and then he'd panicked slightly hoping that the kid was still in the room and hadn't gone looking for something to do that could get him into trouble. He had been releaved to see Mike with the other associates but he still didn't trust any of them and had gone over to check on how things were going. If it had been a pleasant conversation he would have just left but the tone they were using said it all even if the words had been nice, which of course they weren't.

Gregory floundered and most of the group leaned in to watch, "Mr. Specter" Gregory said politely, "Is there anything I can do for you sir?" he asked.

"No, my associate has already completed the work however if you go over to the other partners I'm sure one of them can find you something" Harvey said politely but with a dangerous gleam to his eye.

"Right, of course, I will do that immediately" Gregory said and then hurried away. The rest of the group dispersed soon after not wanting to be around the obviously annoyed senior partner.

"I can handle them on my own you know" Mike said annoyed.

"I know, but you shouldn't have to" Harvey answered.

"You stepping in like that will only make things worse in the long run" Mike said.

"We'll see" Harvey responded shrugging, "Now, why don't you head down to the game room for a little while" he suggested.

"But everyone's going to work" Mike argued.

"Mike, you've already done over two thirds of the work available, you have to leave some for the other associates. As it is they will receive one brief apiece and then all of the work will be handed out. You're free for the rest of the retreat" Harvey said.

"What?" Mike asked a little dejectedly, "But then what am I supposed to do?" he complained.

"Relax and have fun" Harvey answered. "Now, go down to the game room and have a good time" Harvey said pushing Mike slightly in the direction. Mike huffed but started walking off, "Oh and Mike" Harvey called. Mike turned to face him, "Don't take any of the games apart" Harvey said.

"Really Harvey?" Mike said rolling his eyes and then he turned and walked off.

Harvey chuckled and then joined Jessica and the other partners and waited patiently as all of the associates came by looking for work, as Harvey had predicted there was roughly one brief per associate left with only three of them receiving two. Once all of the associates had work the partners headed down to the bar.

Jessica left the bar at 9:30 to go and collect Mike. She found him in the game room alone and up against the wall with the intercom panel off and he was fiddling around with the wires. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Mike jumped, "I was just… just taking a look…" he started to answer.

Jessica put her hands on her hips and stared Mike down, "I believe Harvey told you not to take anything apart" she said.

"He said not to take the games apart, the intercom isn't a game" Mike tried. He knew it wasn't going to work but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Jessica didn't go for it and made Mike put the intercom system back together lecturing him the entire time. When he was done she walked him back up to his room and then put him in the corner for twenty minutes. By the time he was let out Mike really wished he hadn't taken the intercom apart, the five minutes of entertainment it had offered wasn't worth the half hour plus of boredom he'd just had to suffer through.

"I'm sorry" Mike said as soon as he was let out, "I promise I won't take the intercom apart again"

"That's good however I don't want you to take anything apart unless you're given expressed permission by either Harvey or myself to do so. Understood?" Jessica ordered.

"Yes" Mike said dejectedly, he had phrased his apology purposefully but Jessica was the managing partner of a prominent law firm for a reason.

"Good, now go shower" she instructed.

Mike did as told and then let Jessica wrap his arm before getting into bed. He was too tired to argue the fact that he was being made to go to sleep hours before everyone else had to be in the hallway so the door could be locked. The day had been fun but exhausting and he dropped off to sleep quickly.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The next day and a half went in much the same order as the first. Harvey made sure to set his alarm so that he was up with Mike but had also told the boy that he wasn't allowed to leave the room without permission, he didn't want him going wondering around the mansion unsupervised given his propensity for trying to take things apart to 'learn how they worked' or to build whatever he'd thought up. Mike hadn't liked that rule but he also couldn't do much about it seeing as Jessica had a security guard posted outside the door from the hallway.

They played football the second day and basketball on Saturday, Mike proved to be rather proficient at both of those. After a lot of questioning Harvey and Jessica finally got Mike to admit to how he was so good at the different sports. While he and the other kids may have had horrible equipment (a rubber ball for a basket ball and a football with a homemade skin) they had played each sport every week with a bunch of other homeless or poor kids in Backden Park. Mike said that they would meet up most days and find something to play, the groups were always a little different because not everyone showed up every day but there was always enough people to play something. Mike didn't go every day and no one went if there was snow on the ground because too few had shoes to wear but still he had become quite good at sports.

After sports was lunch, in which Mike found he had more of an appetite than at any other meal, and then Mike was made to take a nap, almost always after a fight about not needing one, even though he lost both times. There was no work to do so Mike just relaxed and played with something from the backpack (he wasn't allowed to go to the game room without supervision anymore after the intercom incident) until the second seminar time. Mike was no longer allowed to volunteer in a seminar either nor did they go to anymore with computers or other electronics as the topic.

After supper Mike was given some free time on Friday but today was Saturday October 31, it was Halloween and thus once dinner was over this evening Harvey and Jessica took Mike down to the garage.

"Why exactly are we doing this?" Mike asked. He still didn't understand why they were insisting that he go trick-or-treating.

"Because it'll be a good experience for you" Jessica said. She could see Mike about to argue from the rearview window, "and, we have an agreement" she finished. Mike huffed and assumed his typical pout, "Your costumes in the back, you should change" Jessica said.

Mike sighed but started changing, he had put the pants and shoes on before leaving so all he had left was the shirt and then the toy guns that went into the holsters. He actually thought he looked pretty cool as a SWAT agent, he'd never admit it aloud but it was kind of fun and the guns were awesome.

"There's never going to be people my age out there" Mike said trying to dissuade them one last time.

"Oh no?" Harvey asked as they pulled over at the end of a street.

"No" Mike said.

Harvey smirked, "Take a look then" he said.

Mike leaned forward to look out the front window and was surprised to see people between the ages of three to twenty-five out on the street trick-or-treating. "What the…" Mike trailed off.

"College students are known for going out to get the free candy" Harvey explained.

Mike nodded still shocked but he had yet to make a move to get out of the car. "Do you need one of us to go with you?" Jessica asked.

"No!" Mike exclaimed as he quickly grabbed his bag and got out of the car.

Mike was extremely nervous as he walked away from the car and towards his first house, there were lots of people his age out but he still felt as though he shouldn't be there. "Hey" someone called from behind.

"Hi" Mike said shyly once he'd guessed that the mystery man was talking to him.

"This your first time out since you were a kid?" the man asked, he wasn't that old, Mike would have to guess about twenty.

"Uh… first time ever" Mike answered.

"Seriously?" the guy asked.

"Yeah" Mike shrugged.

"Well then let's get going shall we" the guy offered leading the way toward the first house. "I'm Duncan by the way" he said offering his hand.

"Mike" Mike said shaking his hand.

They walked up to the first house and Duncan rang the bell and they stood back waiting. It was mere seconds before a nice lady opened the door smiling at them. Duncan held out his bag and Mike followed suit, the lady placed candy in the bag and then they all smiled and then left. It had been easy, Mike had no idea what he'd been so worried about, all he'd had to do was smile and hold out a bag and he got free candy. He'd never gotten food so easily before.

"This is easy" he said.

"Yeah, best way to get free candy" Duncan said.

The two talked as they went up one side of the street and then down the other, by the time they were done their bags were overflowing; Mike had been required to shove the candy in his pockets in order to hold it all. By the time they were done they were both exhausted and ready to call it a night.

"Hey, where you headed?" Duncan asked as they walked back towards the corner where the campus bus would pick up the students and Harvey and Jessica were parked.

"Uh.. I'm staying at the mansion on the edge of town 'til tomorrow" Mike answered.

"The mansion? Isn't that hosting the lawyers or something?" Duncan asked.

"Yeah, we're here for a company retreat" Mike answered.

Duncan stopped and turned to face Mike, "Company retreat? How old are you? Are you some creepy perve?" he asked.

"What? No. I'm eighteen" Mike answered quickly.

"Eighteen? I thought you said you were a lawyer"

"I am"

"Then how are you only eighteen? College takes four years and law school takes longer. If you were really a lawyer you should be almost thirty at the latest"

"Well… I sort of tested out of college. It was easy" Mike shrugged. Duncan stood there with his mouth open in shock for a few more seconds before Mike fidgeted, glanced quickly at the car and then turned back to Duncan, "Look, I've got to be heading back but it was really cool hanging out and I have to say this has been fun" he said.

"Uh, yeah, have fun at your retreat" Duncan said. "It was cool meeting you" he said.

"Yeah, you too" Mike said, "It was fun hanging out with someone closer to my own age for a change"

"Yeah, I bet" Duncan laughed as he headed off to the bus stop, the college bus had just shown up so he needed to go.

Mike walked over to the car and got in. "How'd it go?" Harvey asked as Jessica pulled out and headed back to the mansion.

"Halloween is awesome, I got so much candy I had to store it in my pockets" Mike said excitedly as he started searching through his bag.

"Hold on there" Harvey said turning and taking the bag from Mike just as he was about to open up a candy bar.

"Hey!" Mike said trying to reach for it.

"I'm not keeping it, you just aren't going to eat all of it tonight" Harvey said.

"It's mine, I'll eat what I want" Mike argued.

"Excuse me?" Harvey said warningly.

Mike gulped, whenever Harvey was like this Mike tended to loose the argument and lately he'd also ended up facing a corner more often than not. "You two are always saying I'm supposed to eat more" he said trying a different tactic.

"We want you to eat more yes but that doesn't mean you get to eat as much junk food as you want. You'll get to eat some of this tonight and the rest will be saved. Now I'm not saying that I won't steal some but you will get the majority of it" Harvey explained.

Mike huffed but agreed and soon they were back at the mansion and heading up to Mike and Harvey's room. As soon as they got there Mike turned to Harvey looking expectant. "Can I have my candy now?" he asked as politely as possible, which given his eagerness was a bit more forceful than it probably should have been.

Thankfully Harvey just laughed and handed over the bag, "You can have three tonight" Jessica said. Both she and Harvey were enjoying seeing Mike relax and just be a kid it was refreshing. It had also been nice to see him hanging out with someone his own age that evening, Mike had been so much more relaxed once he got back in the car and while he was talking with that kid while going door to door. It seemed that Mike relaxed when he saw that he wasn't the only one his age being a kid and enjoying Halloween.

Watching Mike go through each piece of candy and sort it out by type. He was being extremely meticulous sitting in the middle of the floor. "Mike, why don't you go take a shower and then you can sort through all of your candy" Jessica said.

Mike looked at his watch and then back at Jessica, debating whether he wanted to give in, right now was typically the time he was made to go to sleep and he didn't want to do so right now. Harvey picked up on what Mike was thinking, "You can stay up later than usual tonight but you need to get ready for bed before we let you search through the candy alright?" Harvey offered.

"Deal" Mike agreed jumping up, grabbing his nightclothes and rushing to the bathroom. He was determined to get back to his sorting as soon as possible, he was just glad that he no longer had to care for the cut on his arm anymore because he didn't think he'd sit still long enough for it. Mike was back to his candy in fifteen minutes flat.

Harvey and Jessica couldn't help but laugh at the childish display in front of them. Mike was sitting on the floor with candy surrounding him sorting it out into all sorts of piles. "I can't believe how much candy people just give away" Mike said in awe, "If I'd have known about this as a kid I would have gone every year"

There was a knock on the door at this point and Harvey went to answer it, Mike was too involved in what he was doing to even notice. "Louis, Patricks, what are you two doing here?" Harvey asked.

Patricks looked past Harvey curiously when he heard shuffling, "Why is your associate surrounded by a pile of candy?" he asked.

Harvey looked over his shoulder at Mike, thankfully the boy hadn't noticed that there was company, he had his back to the door and was happily going through the largest pile of candy he'd ever seen. "He's sorting it" Harvey answered.

Louis gave a small smile, he'd seen Harvey and Jessica take Mike out in the car earlier and he'd been able to guess what they were up to. Seeing Mike now was actually rather rewarding. He'd done a lot of thinking since he'd learned Mike's true age. Louis had begun to feel incredibly guilty about the fact that he'd ridden an eighteen-year-old kid harder than the fifth year associates. Louis was also impressed that Mike had proven to be better suited for the work than the thirty-five year old fifth year associates who were on their way to being junior partners. Louis had kept Mike so busy that he'd had to sleep at the office at least three nights a week, he'd been jealous that Mike was there because Harvey had been given a promotion that should have gone to Louis. But looking at Mike now, acting every bit the child that he was, Louis couldn't help but be amazed that Mike had fooled them all for so long. "We just popped by to see if you'd like to get some drinks at the bar however we can see that you're busy so we'll just leave" Louis said as he gently nudged Patricks down the hall.

Patricks was a little irritated that he was being led away from, what would have been, a rather amusing tale he was sure. He for one hadn't been thrilled when he'd learned that not only was Harvey Specter's associate the 'golden boy' of the associates but that he was only eighteen and that Jessica Pearson herself had been taking a very keen interest in his well being had grated at Patricks nerves quite a bit. To see him surrounded by candy on Halloween led him to only one conclusion but he couldn't prove it, there had been no costume or bag anywhere in site so the only thing that could be proven was that the kid had gotten his hands on some candy, he could just as easily have purchased it.

Harvey was grateful to Louis for getting rid of Patricks, "I've never liked Patricks" he said to Jessica after he'd closed the door.

"He's a dusch, he tries to control everyone and he acts like we have nothing better to do with our time than bow down to him, he actually made Harold do it once. He's worse than Louis" Mike said having finally finished his sorting, "Why? What's up with him?" he asked.

Harvey smirked, glad to see that his associate shared his feelings on the man however Jessica wasn't so happy with his choice of words. "Mike, you're allowed to dislike someone but Patricks is still your superior and you will not talk like that about him, or about anyone for that matter" she admonished.

"But he is worse than Louis" Mike said a bit confused.

"She means you're not allowed to call people a dusch" Harvey clarified.

"Oh" Mike said. "I made a killing on candy" he said turning back to his piles.

Harvey had to admit the kid had gotten a lot of candy, more than he'd ever pictured and they were the good ones too, the whole candy bars and the name brands. The candy quality was one of the reasons that they'd picked a relatively rich neighborhood; they'd wanted Mike's first real Halloween to be memorable.

"Did you have fun?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah actually" Mike said a bit shyly.

"Good, well you may pick three to eat but they can't all be huge" Harvey said.

Mike nodded and picked out a Kit-Kat, a packet of Nestle Crunch-A-Bunch and a Whatchamacallit from his pile and then sat down on his bed to eat them. Harvey pulled out the spare duffle bag that Donna had packed into Mike's suitcase, for just this reason, and started putting the rest of the candy into it. He stole a few for himself and Jessica and then zipped up the bag. By the time he was done Mike had finished his Kit-Kat and part of his Nestle before he'd laid out on the bed thoroughly exhausted and had fallen asleep.

"I have to admit, this was a good idea" Harvey said as he lifted Mike up so Jessica could pull back the covers.

"I told you so" Jessica said as she tucked Mike into bed.

They both sat back at the desk and watched Mike sleep for a minute. No matter how much they said it, it still surprised them that Mike was really just a kid. Harvey had to give Mike credit, he was really a good conman, he fooled the entire office for six months, and would have gone on doing so if his 'friend' Trevor hadn't tried to get him fired. Mike could pull off looking so much older when he was in a suit and was hunched over his desk working, but there had been so many slip ups that Harvey couldn't believe he'd missed them all. Mike had even come into the office in jeans and a shirt once or twice because Harvey had called him in the middle of the night and yet he'd never suspected, sure he'd thought that Mike looked much younger than he did in a suit but otherwise he'd just let it go and focused on the work. That had been a mistake.

Mike rolled over in his sleep and the two tensed, Mike had a nightmare the night before and they didn't want him to have one tonight, not on his perfect night, not the night where he'd finally let himself be a kid for the first time in, well, ever. No tonight they wanted it to be nightmare free and just let Mike enjoy being a kid. Thankfully they got their wish.


	14. Chapter 14

**I wish to thank those who have made suggestions as to plot line. I will say that I liked both of them and I will do my best to incorporate some form of them into the story however I already had 22 chapters written before any of the suggestions came in so I cannot implement any of them until chapter 23 or later. Please do not think I do not value you opinion because I always love to hear your thoughts. **

Chapter 14

Mike slept in the next morning; he'd only stayed up about an hour and a half later than when Harvey and Jessica have been making him recently and yet he felt as though he'd pulled an all-nighter when he'd passed out. Waking up he couldn't believe that it was nearly seven thirty. Why was he so tired? He'd always been able to get by on next to no sleep, always been able to function and keep up with everyone around him and yet he'd stayed up an hour and a half more than he had in a week and he had passed out. What the hell? Was he becoming soft? Well that couldn't be allowed to continue, it wasn't safe. With that in mind he rolled out of the bed and got ready for the day.

By the time Mike was dressed and had his bed made and the room cleaned and coffee ready, a cup already fixed to his liking (a little milk and a **lot** of sugar) and was taking his first sip when Harvey came out of the bathroom. "What are you doing?" Harvey asked irritated as he walked over and took the cup out of Mike's hands.

"I'm trying to drink my coffee" Mike said annoyed as he went to get it back.

Harvey poured the cup down the drain, "You're not allowed to have caffeine Mike" he said.

"Why not?" Mike asked annoyed. He couldn't believe Harvey had poured his coffee down the drain.

"Because you're already sleep deprived, you don't need to add to that by keeping yourself awake when your body tells you it needs sleep" Harvey argued. The doctor had said that it would take a while for Mike's body to fully catch up on the amount of sleep the kid's missed in his eighteen and a half years of life. Mike also functioned better when he's had both a nap and a good nights sleep, caffeine would prohibit his sleep and that wasn't healthy.

Mike scoffed, "I've been sleeping regularly for over a week, I think I'm caught up by now" he said picking up the coffee pot to pour himself another cup.

"Dr. Richardson says it'll take a while until you're fully caught up so until he says you're allowed caffeine, it's not going to happen" Harvey said taking the coffee pot out of Mike's hand.

"Hey!" Mike said.

"It's time for breakfast" Harvey said as he dumped the rest of the coffee and then started out the door knowing that Mike would follow. He was willing to give Mike a little leeway this morning; he and Jessica had spent a good hour plus video chatting with Donna last night about how Mike was trick-or-treating. Donna had been doing some research into abused children and said that Mike would probably try and push back after finally letting himself be a kid. It would be scary for him because he'd never done it before and he would try and fight them for control. Apparently Donna had decided to call her sister who was a child psychologist.

Harvey sighed as they sat down at the table, Mike had been silent the entire way down to breakfast and he didn't appear happy. He shot Jessica a look that basically said 'Donna was right' and Jessica sighed too taking a look at Mike. Breakfast was quiet, Mike didn't eat as much as usual and they both cut him some slack, they headed out to the yard after, today's sport was soccer.

Mike once again proved that he was surprisingly good at a sport. Everyone had ceased to be impressed and a lot chalked it up to Mike's youth but Harvey and Jessica couldn't help but be amazed. Mike shook his head when they complemented his abilities, he had become good at the sports for a reason, the different 'groups' (really they were gangs and drug dealers) would bet on the different teams, the teams that won were given five bucks per player and the teams that lost got nothing. You got good or you weren't picked to be on a team, there were only ten people per team and at least sixty kids would show up to play, Mike had gotten good quickly. Mike would never tell Harvey and Jessica that, they looked at the games as some actual part of childhood that Mike had been able to have, that wasn't necessarily true. If a 'group' lost a lot of money because of a team or a certain person then that team or person would show up with some cuts and bruises the next day if they showed up at all. Mike had been on the receiving end of their disappointments a few times but a lot less than the rest of the kids that showed.

Mike cut back what he ate at lunch, it wasn't that he couldn't have eaten the food in front of him and then some but he was becoming too compliant with everything that was happening. He had enjoyed Halloween and he loved all the candy he'd gotten but it had been a child's activity and Mike refused to be a child. Mike wasn't a child, he never had been, he'd been the person taking care of his grandmother, he'd been the one who'd gotten out of a very bad situation and survived on the streets for seven years. He knew that whatever was happening here it would end, no matter what Harvey or Jessica said, this wouldn't be continuing for much longer. Everyone got sick of him eventually. Mike had no intention of quitting the firm; he was respected by many of the senior and junior partners now and knew that any one of them would be glad to give him work to do which was nice. He also knew that he wouldn't find work as a lawyer anywhere else if he left Pearson Hardman, his age always stopped him, he wouldn't have his job now if he hadn't lied to Harvey.

Mike had made up his mind to head back to his own place after work on Tuesday and he wouldn't be going back. He knew it would hurt him, he actually kind of liked having someone look after him for a change but it wouldn't last and it would hurt a hell of a lot more when they dropped him so he would just get away first. Harvey and Jessica would be pissed but no one else would care so he would still have work to do and he would still be able to pay his bills, he'd just need to buy some new suits.

With his plan in mind Mike didn't argue when they told him to rest he just laid there on the bed feigning sleep for an hour and a half. He kept thinking about the past couple of weeks, hell the past month, and the way things had changed since Jessica had learned his secret. Mike couldn't help but feel mortified as he recalled crying on Jessica and burying his head into her shoulder, it had felt so nice at the time to be comforted but now, now it was just embarrassing. Mike wasn't one to cry, he hadn't cried since the day he ran away from the Donner's. He didn't cry when those older boys had him cornered in a closet for days and then beat him until he was unconscious and left him for dead, he'd just gotten up and limped out of there as soon as he could. He didn't cry when the security guard had him cuffed to a chair threatening him and hitting him he'd just waited the man out and then picked the lock on the cuffs and ran. He hadn't cried when the gang had jumped him and the rest of the kids on his team after they'd had a big loose, he'd just taken his punches and then left showing up the next day and winning. He hadn't cried when a couple of the older boys had learned that he was getting work at a local bar under the table, they had dragged him by his hair over to the owners house and chained him up and made him watch as they tortured the man for his safe code, Mike had agreed to crack the safe if they let the man alone (turns out he didn't know the combination, it was his partners safe). They had left after cleaning out the safe and then Mike had been left chained to the wall and been forced to watch the owner bleed out unable to help. Mike had tried to get the paperclip that was just out of his reach so he could get out of the chains and call 911 but he hadn't been able to, the last thing the owner had done before he died was push the clip into Mike's reach. Mike had picked the lock, wiped down his prints from the chains and safe and then run, calling 911 from a payphone three blocks over. Mike hadn't cried in eleven and a half years and yet one nightmare and he was bawling on Jessica's shoulder, he was becoming weak and that wasn't OK.

Mike got out of the bed as soon as he hit the hour and a half mark; Harvey and Jessica had made it clear that it was the least he was allowed to rest for. He looked around the room until he found the seminar sheet, it was an hour until the next seminar series started and there was no work to do so Mike figured he'd look over the sheet again. He wanted to pull out his Gameboy but he wouldn't, he wasn't a kid and he wasn't going to act like one anymore.

Harvey had been watching Mike as he 'slept'. Mike was good at faking sleep, if Harvey hadn't been in here each day during this time and each night, he would have believed that Mike had been sleeping. Harvey knew that Mike hadn't slept a wink however, Mike tended to look peaceful in his sleep unless he was having a nightmare, Mike hadn't been having a nightmare and he had looked completely blank, he hadn't been sleeping. Harvey wasn't surprised that Mike had gotten up as soon as possible, he had been a bit shocked when Mike had gone for the seminar list over the backpack though but he let it be, Mike wasn't doing anything wrong so Harvey wasn't going to stop him.

They sat there for the next fifty minutes before Harvey stood up, "Which seminar did you want to go to today?" he asked. The seminars today were more for entertainment than it was about law. Jessica had set up a German language seminar and an Italian language seminar (she was expanding the firms business to overseas companies) another seminar on cyber security (Mike was banned from that one) and the last one was on patent law.

Mike looked over at Harvey, "The cyber security one" he answered.

"You're not allowed to go to that one Mike, remember what happened last time?" Harvey asked, the whole reason it was available again was because it got so off topic that they had disbanded not long after Mike had been taken out.

"But I already know the others, I don't want to sit through them" Mike complained.

"What do you mean you already know the others?" Harvey asked.

"I already know how to speak, read and write in German and Italian and I learned patent law after that mishap with the satellite phone patent" Mike explained.

"You speak German and Italian?" Harvey asked surprised.

Mike shrugged, "I speak a lot of languages, spent a couple of months living out of the foreign language section of a rather large library during a bad winter once" he said in explanation.

"How many languages do you know?" Harvey asked.

"Um…"Mike thought for a moment, "36" he said finally.

"36, Mike how the hell did you learn 36 languages in a couple of months?" Harvey asked in awe.

"Oh, no, I only learned 11 languages in two months, I picked up the rest around New York, China town is a wonderful place to learn new languages and little Italy is good too. You just have to know where to go" Mike finished. Harvey just stood there in awe, "So, the cyber security seminar?" Mike said as he stood and headed towards the door.

Harvey turned and caught his arm, "No, you're still not allowed to go to that seminar" he said.

Mike was going to argue further but there was a knock at the door, "I'll get it" Mike said as he wrenched his arm out of Harvey's grasp and moved to the door.

"Harvey I…" Hardman said but he trailed off when he saw who was at the door, "Oh, Mr. Ross, I wasn't expecting to find you here" he said.

Mike was still in a rather irritated mood so he might not have spoken as politely as he should have, "I was made to share a room with Harvey" he said.

"Mike" Harvey admonished, he might not like Hardman but that did not mean Mike was allowed to be rude either. He walked over and put himself between Mike and Hardman, "What are you doing here?" he asked Hardman.

Hardman directed his attention to Harvey as Mike crossed his arms and glared at Harvey for being pushed back, "I was just wondering if something had happened to you, I didn't see you in any of the seminars downstairs earlier" Hardman said.

"Everything's fine I just had some work I needed to get done" Harvey answered politely as Mike scoffed in the background.

"Oh, well I'll just let you be then" Hardman said shooting one last glance at Mike before turning and heading down the hall.

Harvey shut the door and turned to Mike, "What's with the attitude?" he asked. Harvey was really trying to keep calm, it was clear that Donna's sister had been correct, Mike was pushing the limits and Harvey had been doing his best but Mike was really pushing it.

"What attitude?" Mike asked snarkily. He was sick of being treated like a kid, he was sick of being given special treatment and he was sick of having his movements restricted.

"Mike, drop the attitude or you'll be standing in the corner" Harvey warned.

Oh that struck a nerve, "I'm not standing in the fucking corner Harvey" Mike stated.

Harvey stepped forward, "Corner now" he ordered.

"No" Mike growled back.

Harvey took Mike's arm and led him towards the nearest empty corner. Mike struggled the entire way but lost the battle and soon found himself staring at a boring wall. "You will stand there until you calm down and when you're ready to talk civilly let me know otherwise stay quiet" Harvey ordered.

Mike stood there all of three seconds after Harvey backed away. He started heading right for the door only to be stopped by Harvey, "Let me go" Mike said.

Harvey dragged Mike back to the corner without saying a word, once Mike was standing there Harvey walked over to the desk and sat back down.

It went on like this for a good forty minutes before Mike finally gave in and just stood there. He was there for another thirty minutes before he was just too bored and exhausted to fight any longer and turned around to talk to Harvey. "I'm ready to talk" he said quietly.

Harvey looked up at Mike, "Take a seat" he said gesturing to the armchair.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Jessica had been waiting for Harvey all throughout the German language seminar, she was willing to wait until the end of the seminar until she went searching for them but it just became rather boring, the speaker was awful. She excused herself with some fake emergency and went up to Harvey and Mike's room. She didn't bother knocking she just let herself in, she found Harvey sitting at the desk and Mike was just sitting down in the armchair. "What's going on?" she asked.

Harvey looked at Mike, "Sit there quietly and think about what you want to say, I'll be right back" he said. He stood up and led Jessica out of the room and filled her in on as quickly as possible before they both went back into the room.

When they'd left Mike looked around the room and decided to move to the bed so that both Harvey and Jessica would have a place to sit. Thankfully when they came back in neither said anything about his seating change and just sat down themselves.

"What's been bothering you Mike?" Harvey asked as though there hadn't been an interruption.

Mike swallowed, he was tired and his nerves were fried. He didn't know what was going on with him but he didn't like it. "Why?" he asked, because that was the crux of everything, why were they doing this? Why were they trying to control him? Why did they care what happened to him?

"Why what Mike?" Jessica asked softly.

Mike took a deep breath and looked Jessica in the eye, "Why do you care?" he asked.

"Mike" she started but Harvey cut her off.

Harvey stood up and walked over to sit next to Mike on the bed. "I've always cared" Harvey started, he held up his hand when Mike opened his mouth to fight, "I know I said dozens of times that I didn't but I was scared, nervous, trying to keep my image. I may not have always known that you were really a kid but you've always come across as one at least emotionally. I know you don't like to hear it but it's true." Harvey said. He could still see the doubt in Mike's eyes, "Do you know why I hired you?" he asked.

"Because I beat you" Mike answered somewhat cockily.

Harvey ignored the attitude for the moment and pressed on, "I hired you because you were the best, but I also hired you because I wanted better for you. I wanted a better life for you and I'd just met you. Now don't ask me why I care because I can't explain it all I know is that you are important to me. You're… like family to me and I will always care, I will always step in to protect you and I will always be there to make sure that you take care of yourself, have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in and someone there to make you feel better" Harvey said. "I promise" he finished because he'd noticed over the past seven months that Mike responded well to promises, he seemed to trust them more than anything.

Mike couldn't speak, he was fighting off tears and he was frustrated that he couldn't help it, "This is making me weak" he said finally.

Jessica stood up now to sit on the other side of Mike, "No, it's not" she said firmly. "Harvey and I both care about you, so does Donna. Having people who care about you does not make you weak" she insisted. "You aren't weak Mike, you're human. Everyone needs someone to take care of them, you lost your parents at such a young age and then life cheated you out of a childhood and forced you to protect yourself and when you finally got the chance to be with the only family you had left you had to take care of them rather than the other way around, that shouldn't have happened but there's nothing anyone can do to change it. We can't change the past but we can change how things are now. When I found out your age you draw my attention personally but I had always been checking in on you, I check in on everyone in my firm. Once I knew your age I started to become much more involved in your life. I learned that you needed someone and I wanted to be the one to care for you, it doesn't make you weak. Needing someone will **never** make you weak" she finished.

"Mike," Harvey said, "You have never given any indication that you're weak. Why do you think this is making you so?" he asked.

"Because I… I'm…" Mike said.

"Because you like this, it feels good?" Harvey guessed.

Mike didn't say anything, for a few minutes, he really couldn't at this point, what was there to say? That Harvey and Jessica were the closest things to parents that he could remember? That he liked the feeling right now of sitting between them, that it felt warm and safe? Finally he felt as though he could talk without breaking down, "I'm eighteen, I'm an adult. I shouldn't need people to care for me" he said finally.

"You're just a kid Mike, eighteen is not an adult, not really" Harvey said.

"You're young and you still have so much to learn. We want to be here to help you and no matter what you think we will never leave" Jessica said.

"We promise" Harvey finished.

Mike looked between them; he was so confused. Yesterday had been so perfect, so freeing. He'd slept better last night than he ever had. He'd dreamt about his parents, or what he could remember of them, his father had been lifting Mike above his head and his mother had been laughing in the background. He could barely remember it and what frustrated him the most was that he couldn't remember his parents' faces. It hadn't bothered him while he was sleeping he was just happy to remember their laughs or his mother saying that it was a bit too high or his father making little airplane noises. It was the first time in over ten years that he'd remembered that time, it was a whole thirty seconds of memory but it was the only memory he had of his parents and it meant the world to him.

Mike hadn't realized that he'd started crying until Jessica and Harvey wrapped their arms around him. He looked up at Harvey, "I can't remember what they looked like" he chocked out.

Jessica seemed to be shocked, "I almost forgot" she said pulling back and rushing out the door.

Harvey was confused and Mike, for some reason, started to cry harder. Mike was so confused, he didn't understand why Jessica's departure hurt him so but it did, it felt as though she'd punched him in the gut.

Harvey pulled Mike closer and before he knew it the kid was practically sitting in his lap, it was a bit uncomfortable but Harvey didn't have the heart to push him away so he just wrapped his arms tighter around Mike and let him cry not knowing what else to do.

Jessica came rushing back into the room a few minutes later, "Mike, I'm so sorry I forgot to give this to you a few days ago" Jessica said holding something out.

Mike removed his head from Harvey's chest and looked up at Jessica through bleary eyes, he was still crying silently but his curiosity was peaked and he reached his hand out to take the offering. He sucked in a breath when he saw what it was, a photo, "Is this?" he asked quietly.

"Yes" Jessica answered retaking her seat on the bed and once again wrapping her arms around Mike. "This is what your parents looked like" she said gently.

Mike held the picture as delicately as possible in both hands; he couldn't believe that he was holding an actual picture of his parents. "How?" he asked quietly.

"Donna did a bit of research and found the article of your parents passing, the newspaper had kept the original of the picture they'd printed and she found it. When she gave it to me I had copies made and then had it laminated so that nothing would happen to it. I meant to give it to you on the bus but I forgot and I'm very sorry for that" Jessica said.

"It's OK" Mike said not taking his eyes off the picture, he didn't care that it came a little late the point is that he had it now and he was never going to let it go. "I miss them" he said eventually.

"I know kid, I know" Harvey said pulling him closer.

Mike allowed Harvey and Jessica to hold him, he liked the feeling as much as he refused to admit it. "I get to keep this right?" he asked hesitantly, because that would be so typical for him, he gets one of his biggest wishes only to have it taken away moments later.

"It belongs to you, I won't allow anyone to take it from you" Jessica promised.

Mike seemed to trust that, whether because he actually believed her or he just really wanted to neither Harvey nor Jessica could say but they weren't going to ask.

Mike felt exhausted, he hadn't slept during his nap, he had fought Harvey until he was too exhausted to continue and then he'd been put through an emotional roller coaster. He was hungry and exhausted and he was warm and felt safe and… loved for the first time since his parents. He was about to fall asleep when his stomach rumbled.

Mike looked down confused, "What was that?" he asked.

Mike could feel Harvey's chuckle, "That's your stomach telling you that you're hungry" he answered.

"Oh" Mike said, "I don't think I've heard that before"

Harvey and Jessica had to hold in their emotions here, this shouldn't be the first time Mike had ever heard his stomach rumble. There was nothing they could do about it though so they focused on fixing the issue. "I'll go down and get you something to eat" Jessica said patting his leg reassuringly before standing up and heading down to the kitchen.

Mike nodded and wiped his eyes, he suddenly became fully aware of where he was and slid off of Harvey's lap, "Sorry" he said.

"It's fine" Harvey replied but he couldn't hide the fact that despite Mike being dangerously underweight he was still rather heavy and the position had been uncomfortable. It didn't matter though; it was what Mike had needed. "Why don't you go take a shower before Jessica comes back with your dinner" Harvey suggested handing Mike his night clothes.

Mike nodded his assent and headed off, he was far too tired to argue. Harvey sighed when the bathroom door shut and he was left alone in the room, he couldn't believe what had happened in such a short period of time but he was glad that Mike had finally calmed down. He pulled down the covers on Mike's bed and then cleared off the desk so that the kid could eat.

Mike came out of the bathroom to the wonderful smell of food and his stomach rumbled once again, "That feels weird" he said.

"It's meant to, let's you no to pay attention" Harvey smirked.

"I don't like it" Mike said.

"Well there's an easy solution" Jessica said leading Mike to the desk and the food.

Mike frowned a little but quickly ate his food happy that the annoying rumbling went away. As he ate he couldn't help but think of the picture that he'd placed in front of him. When he was done eating he looked up, "Can I see my grandmother this weekend?" he asked hesitantly.

"You don't need to ask Mike, all you have to do is say you want to see her and we'll set it up" Harvey said.

"How about Tuesday, after your rest" Jessica offered as both she and Harvey led a rather sleepy Mike to his bed.

"That would be wonderful" Mike said hopefully, "I can show her my picture" he said.

"I think she'd enjoy that" Jessica said tucking Mike in.

Mike was asleep in seconds, still holding the picture in his hand, and Jessica and Harvey breathed a sigh of relief, it had been a very long day and it wasn't even close to over. They spent the rest of the night taking shifts in the room, Mike had a couple of nightmares but they were small and easily fixed with Mike sleeping peacefully again in minutes. Harvey packed for both he and Mike leaving room for their nightclothes and leaving out clothes for the next day along with their toothbrushes and toothpaste. In the morning they'd be able to get up, get ready and go.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It was easy to get Mike on the bus at 5 am on Monday morning, not that the kid was actually aware most of the time, he just did as asked and then curled up in his seat on the bus, taking his coat off and using it as a pillow before going right back to sleep. Harvey smirked at the kid; it was kind of cute seeing him there curled up like a puppy. Harvey took his coat off and laid it over Mike's upper body so he didn't get cold before taking his seat across form him.

Jessica and Douglas took their seats, same as on the way up and soon the bus was headed out. Everything was quiet for about an hour and a half, Jessica had moved down the bus ten minutes prior to talk with a partner about an upcoming merger and Harvey and Douglas were working. The entire bus was rather quiet; people were either buried in work or still waking up after having a rather late night at the bar.

The peace was broken by a loud, blood-curdling scream coming from the sleeping figure at the front of the bus. Harvey was out of his seat, over Douglas and sitting next to Mike in seconds trying to wake him up. "Mike" Harvey said grabbing Mike's shoulders.

Mike opened his eyes but he didn't really wake up, he was still completely immersed in his dream, "I'm sorry" Mike said, "Please don't send me back, he'll kill me" he pleaded.

"Mike, you need to wake up" Harvey said shaking Mike's shoulders gently.

It took a few minutes for Mike to wake up and while Harvey was trying to wake him Mike was pleading not to be sent back, apologizing for running off and saying that 'he' was going to kill Mike if he was sent back. Everyone on the bus was listening in while Harvey and Jessica (she came over as soon as she heard Mike screaming, Harvey got there first so she was standing in the aisle) were trying to calm Mike down.

When he finally woke up Mike looked around the bus and flushed red. "Sorry" he said ducking his head down. Everyone was staring at him while trying their best to look as though they were ignoring him. It was humiliating and Mike couldn't believe that he'd screamed out like that in front of every senior and junior partner at Pearson Hardman.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Mike" Harvey said.

Mike didn't react just continued to sit quietly staring down at his lap. Douglas moved over and Jessica moved to sit across from Harvey and the two of them shot any gawkers glares that made them turn their heads around and never look back. Harvey sat there rubbing Mike's back trying to console him as Jessica reached across and took Mike's hands trying to do the same. It took a long time, they were pulling into a restaurant for breakfast by the time Mike finally looked up and that was only to get off of the bus and head into the building.

Mike went straight to the bathroom and threw up, Harvey followed and couldn't help but wince in sympathy at the sounds coming from the stall. "You OK?" he asked as Mike came out.

Mike looked up at him with unshed tears in his eyes. He desperately wanted to say he was fine but he just couldn't. That dream had been the most vivid nightmare he'd had of the night he'd run to the streets, he'd dreamt the entire week leading up to that day, the worst week of his life. He stayed hunched over the toilet bowl until Harvey turned him around gently.

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked gently. Harvey crouched down to Mike's level and wrapped his arm around him pulling Mike into a sideways hug.

Mike didn't know if he wanted to tell Harvey or not. On the one hand he trusted Harvey and he wanted to tell someone if only because he was tired of having the same dream and hiding it from everyone. On the other hand he didn't want Harvey to hate him or tell him that he'd deserved what had happened, he didn't think he could handle that, not from Harvey. Eventually he shook his head and tried to push away.

Harvey pulled Mike closer to him when he tried to move, "I give you my word that whatever happened, it wasn't your fault and I am amazed that you were able to get out of that place and make something of yourself. Nothing you can say will change that" Harvey said.

Mike started at Harvey, judging him, searching him to see if he was telling the truth. Mike eventually looked down and Harvey thought that he wasn't going to tell him but then Mike opened his mouth and started talking so low that Harvey had to lean close just to hear him.

It took nearly an hour for Mike to finish his story, when he was done Harvey shot up and puked in the toilet. "Sorry" Mike said when Harvey was finished and wiping the tears off is face.

Harvey turned around and grabbed Mike's shoulders, looking him right in the eye before he spoke, "**NONE** of that was your fault Mike, you have **NOTHING** to be sorry for. You got yourself out of a horrible situation and then you survived. You survived for seven years on the streets before getting yourself emancipated and then you took care of your grandmother and put yourself through college. You have improved your life and now you're allowing others to take care of you and **EVERYTHING** you've done has made me proud" Harvey said.

Mike was crying at this point and he just couldn't stop. He didn't know what Harvey's reaction would be but praise and understanding hadn't been it. He buried his head in the crook of Harvey's neck and cried. It took another ten minutes before he stopped crying and sat up. Both Mike and Harvey wiped the tears from their face before going over to the sink and washing off as much as they could.

They left the bathroom to find Douglas standing outside the door, playing bodyguard. Harvey put a hand on his shoulder as a thank you and the three of them headed out to the bus, they were the last ones to get on and the bus left not long after. Jessica shot Harvey a questioning look and he shook his head and texted her a promise of an explanation later.

Harvey looked over at Mike as they drove, he looked so lost and Harvey couldn't blame him. Harvey opened a side pocket on the backpack and pulled out the phase 10 cards. He held them up so Mike could see, "Do you know how to play?" he asked.

Mike looked up at what Harvey had, "No" he said quietly.

Jessica picked up on what Harvey was trying to do, "Well then it's time to learn" she said putting her work aside and clearing the table.

"No, just focus on your work" Mike said.

"I love that game" Douglas said jumping in and helping Jessica to clear the table while Harvey sat forward and started explaining the rules of the game to Mike.

Once the table was clear and Mike knew the rules Harvey dealt out the first hand. The game was mostly silent at first and it took a while for Mike to even crack a smile but eventually all four of them seemed to ease up. The game ended with Mike winning, Jessica in second, Harvey in third and Douglas coming up last. All four of them were joking and laughing and it was good to see Mike so relaxed after the events of that morning.

By the time lunch rolled around Mike was in a much better mood, they were in the middle of a game of UNO. Mike was reluctant to get off the bus but Harvey and Jessica made it clear that he had to eat lunch, especially since he'd missed breakfast and his stomach was starting to rumble. Mike sighed but agreed and soon they were all walking into the restaurant.

Everyone was shooting Mike odd looks, some were curious, some were of sympathy and a very few were annoyed (those were mostly from the associates who didn't know what happened only that he'd been the reason that they were a little delayed). Mike was doing his best to ignore those staring but Harvey and Jessica were shooting anyone whom they caught glares that promised retribution if it didn't stop.

Lunch was a quiet affair; Mike had been painfully reminded of his outburst on the bus as soon as he walked into the place. He didn't feel like eating and would have just refused the food if he hadn't been sitting between Harvey and Jessica he would have done just that, damn his stomach. As it was Mike barely ate half his food and pushed most of it around his plate until it as time to go. Harvey and Jessica let Mike get away with it knowing that he had snacks on the bus and it had been a hard day for him.

The rest of the day went much in the same way, Harvey, Jessica and Douglas keeping Mike entertained while on the bus, Mike picking at his food during meals and everyone pretending that they weren't trying to figure out what was wrong with Mike. By the time lunch was over even every associate had learned about Mike's freak-out on the bus but no one could figure out why. Sure some could take a good guess but there were so many rumors flying around that even those who were right couldn't be certain.

It was late when the bus finally arrived back at the firm, once everyone was off Jessica got their attention, "The work day starts tomorrow, your retreat will end at 7am tomorrow morning and I expect everyone to be well rested and ready to work" she said. Everyone was dismissed after that, Mike and Jessica got into Harvey's car and they headed off.

Donna was waiting for them when they pulled up outside of Jessica's house. She hugged Mike first, Harvey having texted her that morning after breakfast, and then ushered the boy into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She could tell that he was tired and figured it would take a while to get Mike to feel safe enough to sleep.

The three adults waited for Mike to come out of the bathroom wondering how they were going to convince Mike to go to sleep. Mike wondered out into the living room in his nightclothes and barefoot, he was fisting his eyes but everyone could see the determination he was showing in refusing to yawn.

"Hey, so how was your Halloween?" Donna asked sweetly, pulling Mike to sit down next to her on the couch and wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

"It was alright" Mike said quietly shrugging his shoulder.

Donna sighed quietly, she had been hoping for more. Jessica noticed Mike looking at his hands and saw that it was the picture of his parents, he'd been looking down at his lap on and off all day and she'd been wondering why, now she knew. Taking a guess she pulled out her phone and dialed the number to Mike's grandmother's room at the nursing home (she'd put it into her contacts after their first visit to the nursing home). Jessica couldn't say how relieved she was when she heard Edith pick up, she didn't even answer she just handed the phone over to Mike, "Why don't you tell your grandmother that you're coming to visit tomorrow" she suggested.

Mike looked up and quickly took the phone from Jessica, stood up and walked into the kitchen to talk to his grandmother. "That was brilliant" Harvey said to Jessica as he watched Mike's mood improve steadily through the archway between the living room and the kitchen.

"He's missing his parents and, while I know that's the one thing we can't give him, we can give him contact with what little family he has left" Jessica said.

"It'll be good for him" Donna said.

Mike came back into the living room a few minutes later with a smile on his face and handed the phone back to Jessica, "Thank you" he said.

"It's my pleasure" Jessica said.

Mike smiled and sat down between Donna and Harvey on the couch. "So, what are we up to now?" he asked fisting his eyes once again.

"It's bedtime for puppies" Harvey answered.

Mike groaned, "I'm not tired" he said.

"Yeah, that's why you're trying to avoid yawning" Donna said sarcastically.

Mike shot her a look but refused to comment. "Tell you what" Jessica said. She stood up and pulled Mike up by his arm, "You go lay down in bed and I'll read to you from your book until you fall asleep" she offered. She remembered how Donna reading to him had calmed him down after the former associates had trapped him in the conference room. She hoped it would do the same now.

Mike hesitated but eventually nodded; he had to admit he really enjoyed being read to. It was something that had never happened until Donna had done it and it was something that he regretted missing out on in his past. "Alright" he said getting up and following Jessica into his room, when did he start thinking of it as 'his' room?

Mike crawled into the bed, got under the covers and looked at Jessica expectantly. Jessica grabbed a book off the night stand and sat down next to Mike, the boy scooting over a bit in order to accommodate. Mike was sitting up against the headboard and was trying to look over at the pages wanting to read along with Jessica. Jessica though, paused in opening the book to push Mike down to a laying position so that when he did fall asleep he would already be comfortable. It didn't take more than thirty minutes before Mike was out cold. Jessica tucked him in and left the room.

Harvey caught Jessica and Donna up on what happened in the men's room at the restaurant and by the time he was done all three were in tears again. "I'm glad that man's in prison or else I'd kill him" Harvey ended.

The three of them sat there, lost in thought for a while, it was hard to believe that any seven year old had been tortured in such a way, because that's what hanging someone by their wrists and beating them was, torture. To know that Mike had been put through that and survived was heartbreaking and amazing, the kid was a survivor and no matter what had happened to him he'd come out on top.

They pulled themselves together eventually and got on with the rest of their 'meeting'. "I've found some basketball, baseball, bowling, soccer, football, gymnastics, and martial arts teams or clubs that are for eighteen through twenty-five year olds. I have also found some summer camps for young adults that go up to 28 although Mike is still young enough to participate in some of the youth summer camps for teens" Donna said holding out the research she'd done.

"Summer camp?" Harvey asked skeptically.

"It's for young adults, he'd be one of the youngest there. I'm willing to bet good money that he's never gone to one before and it's something every child should get the chance to do" Donna argued before Harvey could protest.

"You were skeptical about trick-or-treating as well and Mike loved it" Jessica reminded Harvey.

Harvey sighed but nodded his head in agreement, "We've got a while to discuss it anyway" he said.

"Speaking of which," Jessica started, "Why did you tell Mike that we would re-discuss this situation after the New Year?" she asked Harvey.

"You did what?" Donna exclaimed looking over at Harvey as though he were mad.

"The kid was freaking out about being kept here for a year or more so I told him we'd discuss the situation after this years over" Harvey defended himself, "I never said that we'd let him back on his own"

"Well he thinks that he's going to be allowed to move back into his apartment on January 1st" Jessica argued.

"And you led him to believe that he'd be moving back there once his armed healed, which would have been tonight" Harvey argued.

"Wait, we're actually going to let him to move back into that piece of crap apartment that doesn't even have hot water or heating?" Donna asked.

"Of course not" Harvey said immediately, "I've already got people going to clear that place out on Wednesday"

"Were you planning on telling Mike?" Donna asked.

"We all know that none of us would allow Mike to move back into that place and all of his 'furniture' is a joke, nothing worth keeping. Everything Mike values he keeps in his bag except for his bike which is in your garage" Harvey reasoned.

Both Jessica and Donna had to agree with that, "Alright then, is there anything else?" Jessica asked.

From here they talked about work and the Hardman issue for a couple of hours before calling it a night.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Mike woke up slowly the next day and stretched in his bed. Oh it felt so good to be back in his bed, in his own roo… He really needed to stop himself here, this was not his bed this was not his room it was Jessica's guest room; he was just using it for a while. He sighed as he corrected himself and then he sat up and padded over to the bathroom pleased to see that a suit was waiting for him.

Mike and Jessica were walking into the office forty-five minutes later, Mike headed straight to his cubicle and was surprised to see a rather large stack of briefs on his desk, followed by three others. Not all of them were from Harvey and Louis, a lot were from the other partners he had worked for at the retreat, apparently he'd impressed them. He smiled a little as he sat down and put his headphones in, at least he'd have plenty to do. Mike worked steadily, well into the start of lunch.

Harvey had been waiting patiently for Mike to come to his office at noon for lunch. He thought that they'd made it clear to the kid that even though he was back to working full days he was still required to come to either Harvey or Jessica for lunch and that he had to take a rest every day. Once Mike was ten minutes late Harvey texted Jessica to see if Mike showed up at her office but apparently the kid was just a no show. Sighing in annoyance Harvey stood up and went to go find his wayward associate.

Harvey found Mike at his cubicle surrounded by files, "Where'd you get all this?" he asked annoyed.

Mike's head shot up, earphones still in ears, "Huh?" he asked.

"Where'd you get all this work?" Harvey asked.

Mike still had his headphones in and while he could hear basic sounds he could not hear everything Harvey was saying but he had learned to lip read when he was five so it wasn't a problem. "I got your work done first" he said quickly trying to appease Harvey.

"And the rest of it came from who, Louis?" Harvey asked.

Mike looked around his cubicle and held up a stack of about ten briefs, "These are for Louis" he said handing them over, "I've already finished them if you want them"

Harvey took the files and put them back down, "And the rest of these files came from?" he asked trying really hard to keep his calm.

"Other partners" Mike said. Random partners had stopped by throughout the morning and dropped stacks of briefs off on Mike's desk.

"Name some" Harvey ordered.

"Hooper, Peterson, Nash, Patricks, Twinderman," Mike started listing.

"Enough" Harvey said. He sighed, he really couldn't blame Mike for this, he and Jessica had encouraged Mike to do the other partners work while on the retreat but now that they were back the partners were over loading the kid. Harvey made a mental note to do something about the amount of work given to Mike but right now he needed to get the boy fed and then down to sleep. He had already learned that Mike tended to become cranky when he didn't get his 'rest'. "It's lunch time, come on" Harvey said after a pause.

Mike looked at his watch startled, how had the time flown by so quickly? "Oh, sorry" he said standing up and following Harvey.

Harvey took Mike to Jessica's office, knocking before entering (how can he harp on Mike about knocking if he won't do it himself) and then gestured for Mike to sit at the table while Jessica finished talking to Louis. Jessica and Louis finished their discussion quickly and then Louis bid everyone in the room a good day before exiting.

"Let's eat" Jessica said turning to Mike. She brought over three styrafoam containers and three drinks and put them on the table handing Mike his first.

"I need to talk to you" Harvey said to Jessica gesturing that they leave the office so as to talk privately.

"I didn't mean to be late" Mike pleaded.

"You haven't done anything wrong Mike" Harvey assured him, "just eat your lunch and everything will be fine" Jessica and Harvey exited the office after that and Mike started in on his lunch.

"What's this about?" Jessica asked as soon as they were outside her office door and had made sure that no one was within listening range.

"I think we may have let Mike impress the other partners a little too much" Harvey said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"At least ten partners put files on Mike's desk and now his cubicle is filled with more work than even he can get done in a day" Harvey answered.

Jessica sighed, "Have you and Louis over loaded him?" she asked.

"No, actually as far as I can tell no one partner overloaded him but the combination of all of the work will" Harvey answered.

"Alright I'll talk to the partners and tell them to lay off Mike" Jessica said.

"No, I don't think they all need to lay off, Louis and I didn't give him enough work to keep him occupied and he could do with impressing the partners I just think that there needs to be some sort of a limit" Harvey said.

"I thought you said what you gave him would keep him busy for a day" Jessica said confused.

"It did before but as Callister said we need to keep his mind busy. Donna was right when she said we'd been dealing with an unhealthy Mike only it wasn't just his arm it was also his hunger and sleep deprivation, it was also his mind. The basic issues are being solved and Mike's becoming bored more quickly and he's working faster" Harvey answered.

"So he's working even faster and better than before?" Jessica asked. At Harvey's nod of confirmation she couldn't help but be even more impressed with the kid, "Alright I'll have the partners come up with some sort of schedule for Mike's services" she said.

Harvey chuckled, "He's still on my work first and foremost" he said.

"Agreed" Jessica said.

"Good, well, I've got a lot of work to do so I'm going to take my lunch to my office, let me know when Mike wakes up and we'll head out to the nursing home" Harvey said.

By the time Harvey had left Jessica's office with his food Mike had finished his. "I'm gonna get back to work" he said standing up and suppressing a yawn, he'd have to get a red bull when he got back to his desk. "Let me know when it's time to go see my grandmother?" he asked.

"We'll be going as soon as your nap is over" Jessica said forgetting to call the nap a 'rest' because Mike really didn't like the word nap.

Mike balked, "I don't take naps. I have work to do and I need to get back to it" he said heading towards the door.

"OK, I'm sorry" Jessica tried to acquiesce, "but you do need to 'rest' and you know this. Your schedule isn't going to change just because you started working full time. Doctor's orders supersede your time sheet" Jessica finished.

"I'm not tired" Mike argued while resisting the urge to rub his eyes. He couldn't stand the fact that he actually did want to sleep after lunch, it sucked and he personally blamed Jessica, Harvey and Donna for this.

"Be that as it may you know the rules" Jessica said, "Mike, the longer you postpone this the longer it is until you get to see your grandmother" she reasoned.

Mike stood his ground for a few minutes longer before huffing and stomping over to the couch. He took off his shoes and suit jacket before lying down. He stared up at Jessica when he was done, "Happy now?" he asked snidely.

"Loose the attitude Mike" Jessica warned before taking her lunch to her desk and eating while she worked.

Mike grew bored lying there and no matter how hard he wanted to fight it his eyes eventually closed and he was soon asleep. Jessica looked over at Mike after fifteen minutes and was pleased to see he was asleep; she made a mental note to remember that Mike became cranky and obstinate when he was tired. She drafted up an e-mail to all of the partners (senior and junior) telling them to come up with a schedule and a total amount of work that any one person was allowed to give Mike. She knew it was a unique idea but there had never been an associate that was desired by **every** partner before so this really had nothing to do with Mike's age and everything to do with Mike's workload.

Mike woke up an hour after having fallen asleep, he knew he was made to sleep for at least an hour and a half at the retreat but the sound of a phone ringing had woken him and he couldn't help that. He sat up and looked around, Jessica was at her desk on the phone so he put on his shoes and waited for her to finish.

Jessica had noticed Mike wake up, she knew he wouldn't be able to sleep for more than an hour when they were at the office and she and Harvey had agreed that it was probably better since he would have work to do but he still needed a nap. As soon as she saw Mike was up she texted Harvey to have Ray ready, once she hung up she turned to Mike, "Lets get going then" she said.

"Really?" Mike asked hopefully.

Jessica paused, "Did you think we wouldn't take you?" she asked.

"Well…" Mike paused, "I wouldn't blame you if you had to work" he said trying to appease her.

Jessica sat down on the coffee table across from Mike, "I told you I'd take you to see your grandmother after your 'rest' today, I will never go back on my word. I've told you that if you want to see your grandmother all you have to do is ask and it will be scheduled. I 'll never go back on that." Jessica said trying to reassure Mike.

Mike had been watching Jessica, studying her face and her body language as she spoke and then replaying it in his head until he was sure that there was no tricks or deceit, until he was sure that she was being honest. "OK" he said quietly.

"Good, then let's get going" Jessica said and she led him out of the office and into the car where Harvey was waiting. If they were late Harvey made no mention and soon they were walking down the hallways of the nursing home to the room of Edith Ross.

"Michael" Edith exclaimed opening her arms as she saw her grandson entering her room.

"Hey Grammy" Mike said walking over and giving her a hug.

"So," Edith said once Mike was seated, "Tell me all about that trip you went on and your very first Halloween"

Mike and Edith talked for well over an hour, Mike told her everything (leaving out his IQ test results and downplaying his role in the sports activities) and went into great detail about Halloween. Edith was thrilled to see her grandson so open, relaxed and happy, it had been a long time since Mike had ever been one of those things and here he was all three. This was the best visit that Edith had ever had with Mike and she was loving every minute of it. Eventually their conversation ended and Edith turned her attention to Harvey and Jessica who had been sitting in the working while they talked.

"Michael why don't you go see if there's anyone open to play cards in the front room" Edith suggested.

"Why not just play in here?" Mike asked.

"I would like to talk to the two who brought you here and I would rather do it in private" Edith said honestly. She had learned a long time ago that it was best to be honest about her motives with Mike, he could always tell when she was lying and it made him extremely tense and nervous so Edith avoided it at all costs.

Mike huffed but did as asked. "Why did you tell him?" Harvey asked confused.

"He always know when you lie, don't do it" Edith warned.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Jessica asked pushing her work aside and leaning back.

"I wanted to talk to you about my grandson" she answered, "I'm sure you have many questions however before I tell you about his past I want to know how he is doing and I want to know how you are treating him" Edith said plainly.

Harvey smirked, the woman was good, "He's been getting better, his arm is healing nicely and he's opening up a bit more. What he's said isn't… pleasant, but I'm happy he's telling me" Harvey said.

Edith watched Harvey, the man had seemed sincere, "What is it that he'd told you?" she asked.

Harvey hesitated, "He doesn't want me to tell you, doesn't want to hurt you" he answered.

Edith smiled at that, "And you respect his wishes?" she asked.

"Yes" Harvey answered.

"He's a wonderful kid, he's funny and caring, he will try to make anyone feel better and help them with whatever he can, he won't break his principals in order to win and he knows what's right and does his best to follow it" Jessica answered.

Edith nodded at that; she'd gotten the answers she'd wanted. "Very well then" she sighed, this would be hard. "When Michael was born his parents were elated, so was I. None of us thought that they'd be able to have children not after all the years they'd put into trying. Michael was a miracle and he was adored by all of us. There might not have been all that much money and we might not have been able to afford the basics of food, clothing and shelter but all three of us did everything we could to ensure that Michael was loved and cared for and that he always had enough to eat and all the attention that he could ever want. He was a happy baby, he was easily bored but otherwise pleased. I doubt that he remembers his parents, he was only two and a half when they died" Edith said.

"He has a picture" Harvey offered.

Edith looked over to Harvey at this, "How did he get that?" she asked.

"Donna tracked down the picture that printed in the newspaper, I brought you a copy" Jessica said pulling a copy out of her purse.

Edith took it as though it would break apart if she even breathed on it wrong, tears pricked at her eyes, "Thank you" she said, "I can't possibly tell you what this means". Edith took a moment to collect herself before she continued. "When my son and his wife died I tried to get custody of Michael but we were barely scraping by with two other incomes, I wasn't allowed to keep Michael because I couldn't provide for him. As you know by now Michael was transferred to a group home and then three foster homes all of which became increasingly worse. Michael never told what happened to him in those places and I could never figure out why but I'm sure he had his reasons at the time. I tried to get him out of those places but I was looked upon as a senile old lady and my warnings were ignored. I don't know why he ran off" Edith said, looking at Harvey and Jessica though, "But I can tell that you do" she said.

"We can't tell you, he made me promise that you wouldn't know" Harvey said, answering her questioning look.

"He doesn't want to upset you" Jessica said.

"Very well" Edith said respecting her grandson's wishes, "When he ran away I was so worried, I hoped that he would come to me but I knew he couldn't. Social services, the police and even a few reporters stopped by regularly for the first couple of years only tapering down to a cop or two a few times a year after that. Michael couldn't stay because he would have been put back into the system and I knew that he was safer on his own than there. Michael would stop by on a random day every year, I would load him down with as much food as I could and he would stay long enough to shower and eat and possibly even take a nap before leaving again. Whenever he left he would always leave around fifty dollars, I have no idea where he came up with the money but he always left something despite my protests. When Michael was fourteen he came to me about emancipation, I jumped at the chance to help and get him into my home and off the streets legally, so that no one could take him away. It worked, the judge was horrible but he gave Michael what he wanted so, as far as I'm concerned, he's my favorite. As soon as Michael was emancipated he tested out of high school then used what little savings he had and received a perfect score on the SAT's. After that he was offered scholarships to some of the most prestigious schools, what the scholarships couldn't cover the government aid did. Michael had no debt from his schooling. Michael used most of his school money to pay the rent. I had been diagnosed by then and was unable to get work; my social security barely covered my medical bills. Michael found three jobs under the table and still we had barely enough for utilities, phone, food and emergencies. I'm no fool I know that Michael didn't eat as much as he said he did, I always made sure that he ate at least one meal in front of me a week and unfortunately that was the best I could do. As much as I despised the situation we were in there were benefits. Michael was finally living in a place with running water, electricity and a roof over his head. I didn't have a bed to offer him, I tried to give him mine but he refused saying that I was older and that he was used to sleeping on the ground. As far as I could tell he'd never had a bed before, the first foster home he was in had Michael set up on a pile of towels and blankets on the floor and that was the nicest thing he had until he bought that fold away bed when he was fifteen (had to save a year just for that stupid little thing). Another benefit of him living with me was that he made a friend, Trevor" Edith held up his hand to stop the protests she could see coming from Harvey, "I know what Trevor is like now however back then he was a good friend to Michael. The first time that Michael met Trevor was when he was walking into the building not a month after Michael moved in. There were some creeps hanging around the front steps and they weren't familiar with Michael so they were giving him a hard time, Trevor came up after one of those creeps pulled a knife, he got Michael inside safely and they've been friends ever since. Trevor was the one who provided Michael with a burger once a week to make sure that he ate two meals, the one I required and the one Trevor did. After I ended up in the nursing home Michael had to sell all of the furniture, with the exception of his bed, bike and clothes in order to pay for this place. He had nowhere to go so Trevor let Michael move into the dorm room with him then when they got kicked out Trevor let Michael stay in his apartment, paying what rent he could and offering food and shelter. Trevor was the one who gave Michael his first bike for his fifteenth birthday. Now Trevor didn't know that Michael had tested out of school or how old he really was, I helped Michael with that lie." Edith paused here to collect her thoughts. "I know that Trevor has proven to be an anchor now but he was really good for Michael back then and I am grateful that he was there"

"I didn't know" Harvey said.

"That's alright, all you've seen is the Trevor that sells drugs and smokes pot. He is the one who got Michael hooked, not long after he moved into the apartment. Trevor had been trying to find a way to get Michael to eat and pot makes you hungry. You've seen the Trevor who is willing to use Michael to further his own agenda and I hate that Trevor as well. I can't tell you how happy I am that you made Michael get rid of him. I know that Michael hasn't made it easy but you've been doing good with him." Edith complimented. "I have to say, I'm thrilled with the way Michael is around you" she said.

"Thank you" Jessica said sincerely. "I enjoy this side of him as well"

"It's a first, I must admit" Edith confided, "I haven't seen him as happy and open as he was today since before his parents died" Edith studied them for a moment before speaking again. "I'm not going to be around forever, the doctor's only given me about six more weeks at most. I want to know that my grandson will be taken care of. He has spent his entire life taking care of himself and others and it's about time that someone take care of him." Edith finished.

Harvey and Jessica looked stunned at Edith, "Does Mike know?" Harvey asked quietly.

"No, and I don't want him to know just yet. I'll tell him after he's had a real thanks giving he deserves that" Edith said. "I have respected his wishes to not tell me about his past and you will accept my wishes not to tell Michael that I'm dying" she finished forcefully.

"They won't have to" Mike said from the doorway. He'd been coming back to say that the front room was being closed so it could be cleaned, open again in ten minutes, and he'd over heard.

"Oh, Michael" Edith said.

"Mike," Harvey said standing up.

"Mike please," Jessica said at the same time.

Before any of them could do anything though, Mike had turned and run out of the building.

"I never meant to hurt him" Edith said sadly.

"We know" Jessica said.

Harvey had left the room to go look for Mike.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Mike couldn't make sense of anything. His grandmother was dying, six weeks at most, and there was nothing he could do about it. In six weeks he would be alone, he would have no family left and he really would be the alone in the world. He felt as though he couldn't breath, he should have stayed with his grandmother but he just had to get out of there. Mike didn't know where he was going, he'd just bolted.

Mike ran for thirty minutes before he stopped and looked around, he was back in one of his old stomping grounds as a kid, it was one of the better ones. Nobody would bother you here so long as you kept your head down and saw nothing. He bent over and caught his breath before moving on, he wasn't that far off from his apartment and he needed somewhere to go to think.

Harvey had run out of the nursing home but he didn't see Mike anywhere, the kid was fast. Sighing he motioned Ray over, they drove around looking for Mike for about ten minutes with no success. Eventually Harvey had the idea to go wait at Mike's apartment, he figured that Mike would want something that reminded him of his grandmother. He texted Jessica to let her know his plan then walked up to Mike's apartment and waited, he was there for a good twenty minutes before the kid came in through the back window that lead to the fire escape.

"What loose your key?" Harvey asked sarcastically once Mike was standing in the living/ dining room/ kitchen.

"Jessica took it. What are you doing here?" Mike asked annoyed.

"I came to find you" Harvey said softly, slowly walking over to Mike.

"What for?" Mike asked. He was hurt and upset and he wasn't being nice but he really didn't care.

"Mike, I'm so sorry" Harvey said quietly stopping right in front of Mike.

Mike stopped; it took a moment for Harvey to realize that Mike wasn't even breathing. He stepped forward and pulled Mike against him wrapping the kid in a hug. Mike just stood there, still as a statue, and didn't move. Harvey kept telling Mike that it would be OK, that he was sorry, that they'd get through this and most of all to breath. Eventually Mike started breathing again but he still didn't move. Harvey continued to hold him and started rubbing up and down on his back trying to get some sort of a response.

After a good thirty minutes Mike whispered out, "I don't want her to die" it was so quiet that Harvey almost missed it.

"I know kid, I know. I wish I could fix it for you I really do but I can't. This is something that no one can fix and it sucks. Jessica, Donna and I'll be here for you though, we're not going anywhere" Harvey said tying to reassure Mike.

Mike started shaking his head no, "No, you'll get sick of me, just like everyone else" Mike said.

Harvey pulled back to look Mike in the eye, "We will **never** get tired of you Mike. You're so important to all three of us and there is nothing that can change that." Harvey tried to reassure him.

Mike gave a hard, harsh laugh, "Even those who would beat me got sick of me Harvey" he said.

"You should have never been with them" Harvey said harshly, "I want you to name one person who actually cares for you who has left you of their own free will" Harvey ordered.

Mike stopped to think about this, his parents had left him but that wasn't their choice, they had been killed. His grandmother had done everything she could to get him and eventually he had moved in with her but she was dying now. The only other person he could think of was Trevor, "Trevor got sick of me" he said.

"I said someone who truly cares about you" Harvey said. It came out a little harsher than necessary but Harvey really didn't like Trevor.

"Trevor was my friend" Mike said

"And friends are known to grow apart, you started moving forward and Trevor backwards, he pulled you down and he wasn't good for you" Harvey said.

Mike sighed, "I'm not in the mood for this fight" he said.

"Sorry" Harvey apologized, "I just wanted to say that Jessica, Donna and I are here to stay. We will never leave you and I will do whatever I have to do to prove that to you" Harvey promised.

Mike snorted, "Like what? I'm about to have no family; I can go back to doing as I please. No bills you know?" he said sarcastically.

"You have a family Mike" Harvey said. He had a bad feeling as to what Mike meant, if he was right Mike was talking about quitting and going back to his old life.

"I have a family yes but as we all know it won't last" Mike said. He was trying to be mad about this, push Harvey away. It would be easier, he didn't want to cry, he'd already been doing that far too much lately and it was a sign of weakness, not one he was willing to continue.

"You will always have a family, it's actually grown lately" Harvey said trying to reassure the kid.

"My family is growing smaller Harvey not bigger. I've lost my parents and now I'm going to lo…" Mike said but he trailed off, he couldn't actually admit it. He started crying he couldn't help it, he'd tried not to he really had but his grandmother was dying and his world was being torn apart.

Harvey brought Mike close and held him, just letting Mike cry. The kid needed to let this out; it wasn't good to hide behind a mask of anger. Mike cried for over half an hour before he finally calmed, at some point he'd gone from standing like a statue to grasping onto Harvey for dear life. Eventually Mike pulled away though, or he tried to Harvey was still trying to get his point across.

Harvey looked Mike straight in the eye before talking, "Mike, I am your family, Jessica is your family, Donna is your family" he said. Harvey was desperately trying to get his point across to Mike but he could see that the kid wasn't buying it. "Mike, I don't know what I can do to assure you of this," Harvey said, he was wracking his brain trying to think of something that he could do to assure the kid and then it hit him, Mike was just a kid, "I'll adopt you" Harvey said.

"What?" Mike asked.

"I'll adopt you" Harvey said again.

Mike shook his head "That's not a good idea" he said.

"Why not?" Harvey asked.

"Because you'll get sick of me" Mike said with such honesty that Harvey reacted by pulling Mike close and holding the kid there just to make himself feel better.

When Harvey pulled Mike away again he grasped his chin lightly and brought his head up to lock eyes. "I will **never** get sick of you and I'll draw the paperwork up as soon as we get home" Harvey said.

Mike looked in Harvey's eyes trying to figure out why this man cared so much, "I'm too old to be adopted Harvey" he said.

"The fact that you're eighteen actually makes it easier" Harvey said.

Mike looked shocked at Harvey, "You've looked into this?" he asked.

"I was waiting for the right time to suggest it. Jessica and I have been researching it throughout the retreat" Harvey admitted.

"So you've been planning this?" Mike asked.

"The meeting with the judge is scheduled for Tuesday" Harvey answered.

Mike couldn't help the small smile that came to his lips but he still had his doubts, "It's a big decision Harvey" Mike said.

"Yes, and I've spent a long time deciding. I want to do this Mike, Jessica and I want to do this. You are the most important thing in both of our lives and we want to know that no matter what happens you'll always be apart of us" Harvey said. Donna used to joke about Harvey adopting Mike before they knew about the kid's age, once they had learned the truth Donna's joking had become serious and Harvey had agreed almost immediately. Harvey had actually been the one to suggest it to Jessica, she had been all for it and they had spent the past eight days discussing and planning this. They had talked to Donna and she had agreed that she was more the Aunt than the mother, that role was Jessica's hands down.

"What about the office?" Mike asked. He was surprising himself with the fact that he actually did want this, it was a small desire but a strong one. On one hand he wanted the security that it offered and he couldn't think of better parents than Harvey and Jessica but on the other hand he was terrified that as soon as he was adopted Harvey and Jessica would turn. His fears must have been showing because Harvey addressed them rather than answering the question.

"Jessica and I are never going to hurt you Mike" Harvey assured him.

Mike squirmed a bit at that, he was still being held by Harvey and the man wasn't letting him get away, they were going to have this conversation whether Mike wanted to or not. "You know, Trevor was a good friend until things changed, he actually told me 'you don't help me out, I help you out' once when I offered to help him get out of dealing" Mike said.

"Trevor was scared and he liked being the one in charge, the one in control. He wanted you to be the one to owe him something. He wasn't anymore. I'm not scared, Jessica's not scared, we won't abandon you and we won't hurt you. You know who we are, you have seen the both of us when we're joking and when we're in charge you have been watching us for over seven months now and are familiar with who we are. There's nothing that'll change other than your name and security" Harvey said.

Mike shifted again but Harvey still held tight, "We don't always agree, usually about work" Mike said.

"And we will still have differing opinions, that'll never change. I respect your opinions and the way we work won't be affected, you are still my associate and I hired you for a reason but you will also by my son and that means that I'll be a bit more, protective, I won't allow you to be in situations where I think you could get hurt, I won't allow you to drink and if I'm meeting a client at the bar you won't be coming. You will get to meet clients still; you'll be in more meetings rather than being kicked out because it'll allow me to keep an eye on you. Some things will change but others won't" Harvey said. He was doing his best to explain but it wasn't easy for him, he wasn't that big of a talker.

"So I can still keep my job?" Mike asked.

"Yep" Harvey said. He knew it was important to Mike to have a means of support for himself, too many years on the streets and struggling to feed his grandmother let alone himself had led to the need to know that he would have a steady income.

Mike nodded; it was something he wanted in all honesty. Harvey was his mentor; he had never been closer to anyone than he was to Harvey, not even his grandmother. "I do want it" Mike said quietly but keeping eye contact with Harvey.

Harvey smiled as big as he could, he was ecstatic, he would have respected Mike's wishes if the kid had declined but he couldn't deny that it would have hurt. To Harvey this was the best day he'd ever had. "That's wonderful" he said pulling Mike closer.

Mike returned the hug readily this time, no hesitation; he buried his head in the space where Harvey's neck met his shoulder. They stayed there for a couple minutes until Harvey's phone rang, it was Jessica's ring tone otherwise Harvey would have ignored it. Sighing he took the phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear, the one not blocked by Mike's head. "Yeah" Harvey said. He listened for a moment before saying, "The door's unlocked come on in" he hung up the phone after that.

Jessica walked into the apartment seconds later, "There you are" she said as soon as she saw Mike. She went directly to the boy in question and pulled him away from Harvey and wrapped him in a hug of her own.

Mike chuckled slightly but accepted the hug regardless. Jessica let him go a few minutes later, "Well, I think it's time to head home don't you" she asked.

"Yeah," Mike said nodding, he liked that idea, heading home. They started heading for the door but Mike turned quickly and rushed over to a needlepoint panda on the wall, "Almost forgot" he said taking it off and bringing it with him.

"What's that?" Harvey asked curiously.

"Grammy made it for me" Mike answered.

"It's wonderful" Jessica said, "We'll hang it up in your room"

Mike smiled at that. "Is there anything else you value here?" Harvey asked.

Mike stopped and thought about it, he then left to the bedroom a moment later and came back with a shoebox and the Mike doll that Joyce had made him. "My pictures" he said, "Wanna see?" he asked holding the shoe box out.

"Why don't we look at them in the car" Jessica offered, there wasn't a place for all three of them to sit down.

"OK" Mike said as he followed them out. He was still upset about his grandmother but he had known when he had to up her care that she was dying, the nursing home had said as much but it had been a shock to hear the words come out of his grandmother's mouth, until that happened he could pretend that he didn't know. Harvey's news had cheered him up greatly, no matter how much he wanted to pretend that he didn't need anyone Mike knew that it was what he really wanted.

Jessica was a bit surprised at Mike's sudden willingness to go with them, she had been expecting a fight and an upset kid so this was a nice change. She shot Harvey a questioning look but he just mouthed that he'd explain later.

As soon as they were all in the car Mike handed over the box. Harvey and Jessica looked inside, there were five pictures, two were of Mike and his grandmother, one was of Mike and Trevor, one was of Mike, Trevor, and Jenny and one was just of Mike's grandmother alone. There were also a couple of sketches in the box, one was a picture of Edith sitting in a rocking chair reading a book, it looked to be at the nursing home. The other picture was of Harvey, Jessica and a few other partners (Harvey and Jessica were the main two in the setting) sitting in a meeting. Harvey remembered that day, Mike had been brought along by Harvey, the kid hadn't really needed to be there but Harvey had thought it would be a good idea to get the partners used to seeing Mike around. Mike had been bored but was constantly writing in his folder, turns out he hadn't been writing.

"You drew these?" Harvey asked impressed, these were extremely detailed, amazing really.

Mike shrugged, "I got bored" he said.

"These are amazing" Jessica complemented.

Mike shrugged again but couldn't help the small smile that came to his lips.

They arrived at Jessica's soon after and the three of them got out. Harvey ordered take away and Jessica sent Mike to shower; it was amazing how fast the day had flown by. Dinner was a quiet affair and Mike was sent to bed soon after.

Harvey and Jessica stayed up late into the night discussing a schedule for taking Mike to see his grandmother, they wanted him to be able to spend as much time with Edith as possible so they were scheduling it for three to four days a week. They also celebrated Mike agreeing to the adoption, it was a joyous moment for the both of them. Eventually Jessica went to bed and Harvey lay out on the couch to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**OK I did the research before I wrote this chapter. Know that the Judge's ruling can, and sometimes, does happen. It might not be as simply done as I have written but there is actual laws that allow it. The laws do differ from state to state so I did my best to find the ones for NY but I might not have succeeded completely.**

Chapter 19

The next week sped by; Mike was visiting his grandmother every third day for a couple of hours. Edith had been elated when she heard of the adoption, she always hoped for a good family for her grandson. Mike was still debating as to whether or not he was going to give up his freedom but he knew that he really wanted this so, while he would argue with himself he would never back out.

As soon as Harvey and Jessica had the paperwork set and had done everything they could to prepare for court they were a bit restless, it led to some arguments. Harvey wanted Mike to stay with him, at least half of the time, and Jessica didn't want to loose Mike for even a night. It was Mike who suggested that they find a place they could all fit, it was accepted immediately and they were looking at listings mere seconds later. They were actually going to surprise Mike with the place after the adoption went through, already having movers and painters working. Once the issue of the living situation went away the fighting calmed again and they all buried themselves in their work.

Harvey and Mike worked on the nurses strike. Hardman had pushed his way onto the case as well and had even tried to play Mike against Harvey, that stopped quickly though when Harvey started keeping Mike in his office throughout the day. Harvey and Jessica had actually been debating on keeping Mike there full time, maybe even giving him his own desk but Mike had thrown a fit saying that it would seclude him too much from the rest of the firm. Eventually Harvey and Jessica relented and agreed that Mike could keep his cubicle.

All week the four of them had been running around getting everything done and now it was actually the day. Jessica had invited her parents down, Harvey had invited his brother and then the two of them had invited Edith. They had planned a surprise party at their new condo for Mike as soon as the papers were signed.

Mike had been working at his cubicle for a few hours and it was going on lunch, Mike had finished his work about ten minutes prior and was bored. He sighed and looked at the time, making his decision he got up and walked to Harvey's office, he didn't knock, never does, and ended up walking in on Hardman and Harvey arguing.

Harvey and Hardman stopped and turned as soon as Mike opened the door. Mike froze when he saw Hardman, he wasn't scared of Hardman anymore but that didn't mean he liked the man being in Harvey's office. "I'm sorry, didn't mean to interrupt" Mike mumbled as he quickly walked out and sat on Donna's desk in her cubicle. Harvey sighed and wrapped things up with Hardman as quick as he could.

Rachael came up to Donna's cubicle looking for the woman but found Mike instead. "Hey" Mike said when he saw her.

"Hey" Rachael said a little awkwardly. She had been somewhat avoiding Mike since that day in the file room.

Mike sighed, "Look, I know it's weird and I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I didn't tell anyone my age" Mike said.

"You didn't need to lead me on either" Rachael said.

"I didn't" Mike defended himself, "I mean did try that first day but otherwise I let you be for the most part, I was just being a friend when I encouraged you to take the LSATs and I didn't want to hurt you at the mock trial but I also found a girlfriend at that point. You were the one who went after me when you saw me with Jenny, you kissed me and I asked you to drop it" Mike said.

Rachael sighed, she didn't like this conversation partially because Mike did have a slight point but also partially because she didn't see the point in arguing about it with someone she'd never date, "You kept putting yourself with me, you took me to that condo and pretended to be my husband, you asked me out after" she argued.

"I had fun with you, the husband rouse was to get me in the building but you were fun and smart and I gave it a shot but you turned me down so I moved on" Mike argued.

"You should have told me then" Rachael said.

"Maybe I should have but then I had just met you really and I didn't know how you'd react. The last thing I needed was for my secret to get out. Every time I went for an interview after I got out of law school I couldn't even get in the door once I said my age. I wanted to prove myself for at least a year before I would let anyone find out." Mike defended himself. "I kept working with you because you're good at your job and fun to work with" he finished.

Rachael took a deep breath before responding, "I respect that but you do know that there will never be anything between us, I mean, you're ten years younger than me" she said.

"I know that" Mike answered.

"Good, so where's Donna?" Rachael asked.

"She's running an errand for me" Harvey answered seeing Hardman out of his office, "Come on Mike" he said gesturing for Mike to go into the office.

Mike nodded to Rachael and headed into Harvey's office to find his lunch out on the table. He sighed but sat down to eat, his eating habits had improved steadily since all of this started, his body was even telling him when he was hungry which was a huge improvement although it could be annoying if he tired to wait to long before eating.

Harvey turned to Rachael once Hardman was gone, "Did you need something?" he asked.

"No, I was just looking for Donna" Rachael said. She had become more nervous than usual around Harvey after that day in the records room, the man was extremely protective of Mike.

"She'll be back in about ten minutes" Harvey told her before heading into his office. He was pleased to see Mike eating as he walked over to his desk.

Mike looked over at Harvey when he sat down, "So I have to eat but you don't?" he asked.

"I'm not the one underweight and I'm not still growing" Harvey said.

"I'm my full height Harvey, I'm not going to get any taller" Mike responded.

"You're still a teenager, your metabolism is ridiculously high and your underweight. You will eat all three meals in a day every day" Harvey stated then turned back to his work effectively ending the conversation.

Mike sighed but finished his lunch. Once he was done he threw away the trash and then started looking through Harvey's record collection so as to amuse himself.

Harvey looked up at Mike when he noticed the kid go for the records and not the couch, "Mike, it's time to sleep" Harvey said.

"I'm not tired" Mike complained.

Harvey smirked, the kid tended to whine when he was tired so the argument wasn't holding any weight. "Nice try kid, lay down" Harvey said.

"Can I put a record on?" Mike asked hopefully.

"No lyrics" Harvey conceded. Mike had taken to picking out a record while he slept; the kid really liked his music. Harvey was fine with it so long as it was only notes and no lyrics, he had read somewhere that listening to wordless music was actually calming while you slept depending on what you were listening to.

Mike picked a record and held it up for Harvey to inspect, when the man nodded his consent Mike put the record on and then lay down on the couch. He didn't think that he would actually sleep, he was just too excited, once he got up they were heading down to the courthouse and he was jumpy. Mike couldn't help but think that Harvey and Jessica were going to back out the last minute and leave him standing in the courthouse. Mike knew it was irrational but still, he was afraid that everything would change, or really go back to the way it was. Strange really when he thought about it, when this first started all Mike had wanted was to be let alone, to live his life the way he had been but it had barely been a month since Jessica found out and now he didn't want to go back.

Mike eventually did go to sleep but it wasn't very restful, he ended up jerking awake from a nightmare after half an hour. "I'm not going back to sleep" Mike said to Harvey, who was currently hovering over him.

"I get it" Harvey said patting his knee and standing up. "Why don't we just head out then?" he offered.

Mike was off the couch in seconds, "I'll get Jessica" he said.

"No need, I've already texted her, she'll meet us at the car" Donna said as they exited the office and headed to the elevators.

In no time at all the four of them were sitting in Judge Rymer's chambers. The judge had agreed to hold the meeting in his chambers, which was a lot more comfortable than a large, empty, courtroom. Rymer was a judge in family court and was familiar with Judge Povel who had granted Mike his emancipation four years prior.

"We are here today for the adoption of Michael James Ross by Harvey Reginald Specter and Jessica Lourdes Pearson is that correct?" Judge Rymer asked.

"Yes your honor" Harvey answered.

"Mrs. Pearson, do you agree to this adoption?" Rymer asked.

"Yes" Jessica answered.

"Mr. Specter, do you agree to this adoption?" Rymer asked.

"Yes" Harvey answered.

Judge Rymer then turned to Mike, "Mr. Ross" he said, "I have looked over all of the documents provided, I have to say that you are a clever kid, I have never known someone to be emancipated at such a young age but then I'm willing to bet you did your homework and worked the system to your advantage" Mike looked down at this, "I thought so, I'm also going to guess that you also did your research on Judge Povel. Did you know that he was disbarred last year?"

"No I didn't" Mike said.

"All of his cases that involve those who are still minors are being looked over, you're lucky they didn't come to you until you had turned eighteen. I have also looked over your medical records here, as well as your records from social services. I must admit, you are one tough kid I haven't met many people who could have lived through what you have lived through, you managed it and have and are still functioning" Rymer said.

"Thank you?" Mike said a little confused. He wasn't sure if the judge was complementing him or not.

"It was a complement, don't worry" Rymer said, "Having looked over your records and given that you have been on your own for eleven years now I have come to a decision."

"I'm too old to go back into the system" Mike interrupted. He wasn't sure where this was going but he was becoming nervous and he could see Harvey and Jessica shifting on either side of him.

"I would never make you" Rymer assured him, "No, I think that this adoption is the best thing for you and I am going to agree to it"

Mike, Harvey and Jessica all let out a relieved sigh (Donna was waiting outside) "Thank you" Mike said.

"I'm not finished" Rymer said.

"What more is there?" Harvey asked politely.

Judge Rymer sighed, "It is a familiar custom, not completely common but it does exist, to keep children in the custody of the state until age 21 if they have shown that they need help in caring for themselves. From what I have seen of your records I would say that you are not completely capable of making sure that you stay healthy. Based on the hours that you've put in at work you are overworking yourself horrendously, you'll burn out soon if you don't stop."

"What!" Mike interrupted, "I've worked more when I was fourteen than I have since starting at Pearson Hardman" he argued.

Judge Rymer raised his eyebrows at this, "And you think that's going to alter my decision?" he asked slightly sarcastically. "Along with your work hours" he continued, "I've also looked at your health, you had never been to a doctor until Mrs. Pearson took you a little over a month ago is that correct?" he asked.

Mike refused to answer, he didn't like where this was going, "Yes that's correct" Jessica confirmed noticing that Mike had slouched into his typical pout.

"The doctor said that you are highly underweight, so much so that if you did not bring up your weight then you would be admitted to the hospital. The records show that you went down while being let to yourself for a week however after a week of living under the care of Mrs. Pearson and Mr. Specter your weight improved and you're sleeping and eating regularly." Rymer paused here, "Now I have come to a decision but I wish to give you the chance to dispute any of my findings before I make a ruling" he offered.

Mike glared at the man, "I became emancipated for a reason. I ran off for a reason. The system is crap and I do much better on my own, I'm safer on my own" he said annoyed.

"Has Mrs. Pearson or Mr. Specter ever hurt you or given you reason to fear them?" Rymer asked. Based on his findings Rymer had to admit that the two 'parents' were perfect for the kid, they loved him and cared for him which is something that Mike desperately needed but he wasn't about to put Mike with them if the boy would be in danger.

"No" Mike said immediately, "They have never and they would never hurt me" he said it so honestly that Rymer believed every word. Harvey and Jessica had each placed a hand on Mike's shoulders, he'd been agitated since the judge had started with this discussion and his suggestion that Mike was in danger with the only two people he'd ever trusted had been a bit much in Mike's opinion.

Rymer watched the exchange between the three people sitting across from him and he couldn't help but truly believe that they were the perfect family even if they were a bit… unique. "Alright then, I'm sorry for upsetting you" he apologized.

"Is that all then?" Mike asked snarkily.

"No" Rymer answered, "You're a smart kid, you know where this is going. When left to yourself you have shown that you overwork, to a dangerous level at almost four days straight, you don't eat for days, you rarely sleep, your apartment wasn't habitable. You have been on your own since the age of seven and before that you weren't properly cared for. You became emancipated by conning your way into getting the worst judge available at the worst time available and would have been placed back into the system had your case come under review just a few months earlier than it did. You refused a doctor even when you were injured and then after being forced to go you refused to take the medication given worsening your injury, Mrs. Pearson and Mr. Specter had to be present in order to ensure that you followed doctor's orders. To summarize you do not properly know how to take care of yourself and were forced to grow up far sooner than you should have" Rymer said.

"So what are you saying?" Mike asked edgily.

"I'm saying that I'm going to sign off on the adoption and place you in the custody of your parents until the age of 21" Rymer said.

"What!" Mike exclaimed. He wasn't stupid he understood what being in the custody of Harvey and Jessica meant and until he was 21! That was two and a half years from now!

"Now you will still be able to work" Rymer said trying to get through the interruption, "I have taken the time to look over your hours for the past week as well as your doctor's recommendation and your grandmothers. Mrs. Pearson and Mr. Spector seem to know what they're doing. Basically nothing will change you will just be under the care of your new parents for a few years. I think it'll do you good" Rymer finished. With that he signed the adoption papers and handed them over. "Now what name did you want on your new birth certificate?" he asked kindly.

Mike looked up at him, he was trying hard not to cry, he couldn't believe that he wanted to. Mike never cried until all of this started, he had never needed anyone always being responsible for himself and others but it seemed that he was suddenly loosing that. "Mike" Harvey said softly.

"I survived" Mike said.

Harvey sighed, "I know you did kiddo, you did an amazing job at it but now it's time to do more" he said.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked. Surviving was his skill, he didn't know how to do anything else, he'd never needed to do anything else.

"I mean it's time to live, time to enjoy life and to know that you can do so safely. It's time to let someone else take over for a little while." Harvey said. He hadn't been expecting the judges statement but he was actually relieved, this would provide Mike with the security of knowing that things wouldn't change, they wouldn't leave him. It would give Harvey and Jessica a legal right to keep Mike living with them and it would allow them to see to Mike's needs, medical and otherwise even if Mike didn't like it. They no longer needed Mike's consent to do what was best for him.

"Nothing's going to change from how they've been these past few weeks. You'll be able to relax, you won't be responsible for everyone and everything that you care about, you'll get the chance to be a kid" Jessica said. Like Harvey she hadn't expected the judge's decision but she thought it was a wonderful idea.

"I don't know how to do that" Mike said honestly. He was confused and concerned as to what this meant.

"That's why we're doing this" Jessica said pulling Mike close. Mike stopped fighting then and just cried, Jessica held him and Harvey started rubbing his back and Mike couldn't help it. He was confused but he wasn't scared and that just confused him more. He'd just been placed into the care of two people, whenever that had happened in the past it had been bad but he trusted Harvey and Jessica, they were the most important people in his life and he didn't know how that had happened so quickly.

They stayed like that for a good ten minutes before Mike finally calmed down. "You OK?" Harvey asked gently.

"I think I will be" Mike answered.

"We didn't know about this" Jessica said.

"I know" Mike said, "I don't blame you" He took another minute to collect himself before looking at the judge, "Michael Ross Pearson-Spector" he said. Mike had thought long and hard about what he wanted his name to be, he knew he'd be keeping his first name and he wanted to keep his parents name thus moving it to his middle name but he also wanted Harvey and Jessica's names. Harvey and Jessica had different last names but they would be his parents once this was all said and done so he'd decided to hyphenate his last name. Doing his research showed that it was typical for the mother's name to go first and the father's second so that's what he'd done.

The judge smiled, "Michael Ross Pearson-Spector it is then" he said writing it on the birth certificate. He then handed the document over to Harvey and Jessica to sign and it was then notarized. "Well then, go and enjoy your new family" Rymer said smiling, he couldn't help but feel that this was one of the best things he'd ever done as a judge, it wasn't normal to give custody of a child to two people who weren't even in a relationship but the three of them fit together like a glove. It was what was best for Mike so Rymer agreed to it happily.

Harvey and Jessica thanked him and then they all headed out. Mike couldn't thank the man, he was happy that he was adopted but he was still upset about loosing his freedom although when he truly thought about it he'd really lost that three weeks ago.

Donna was ecstatic to see the signed documents, it was official now but she was also surprised with the judge's decision. The four of them piled into Ray's car and drove to the new condo, they still had an adoption party to get to.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Mike watched out the window as they drove and it didn't take him long to realize that they weren't going to Jessica's house or Harvey's apartment and they weren't headed back to the firm either. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Harvey smirked, he'd known if wouldn't take Mike long to realize that they were headed someplace new, the kid was good. "We're going home" Harvey answered.

Mike looked confused, "Jessica's house is the other way" he said.

"We found a home for all of us" Jessica said.

Mike's eyes widened at that, "You found a new place?" he asked excitedly. He had always dreamed of living with his parents, granted it used to be back with his biological parents but once Harvey and Jessica had started fighting about where Mike would live he'd suggested them all moving in together. He had to say he really wanted to see the place.

"We did" Jessica confirmed smiling.

"Where is it?" Mike asked. He wanted every detail he could get.

Harvey chuckled, "It's closer to the firm than either of our old places and it has six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms, two master bedrooms and it's the perfect size for all of us." Harvey said.

"What else?" Mike asked.

"Why don't you see for yourself" Jessica said pointing out the window, "We're here" Harvey and Jessica had the party set up to start in an hour meaning that they had an hour for Mike to explore his new home.

"It's tall" Mike said as they walked into a lobby.

"It's a condo" Jessica said.

They headed up to the top floor of the building, well the top two floors actually. It was a large space, fancy too. Mike started on the ground floor there was a massive kitchen with an eating area in it and a dining room off to the side. There was also a living room, a sitting room, two offices (one for Harvey and one for Jessica. Mike didn't get one seeing as he wasn't supposed to work after hours for the time being). There was also a den with a ping pong table, a fooseball table, three video game systems with games (all rated E10 or less), a 50 inch TV, and loads of movies. The den also included a couple of arcade game systems. The bottom floor also included the half bathroom and a full bathroom. The second floor was where the bedrooms were located, on one side of the floor were three spare bedrooms all of which were furnished simply with neutral colors and there was two bathrooms across the hall from them. On the other side of the top floor were two master bedrooms with a single bedroom in the middle with the final bathroom across the hall, Jessica and Harvey took a master bedroom on either side of Mike's room and Mike's bathroom was across the hall. Mike had to admit that it was the nicest room he'd ever seen, the bed was still a queen size but it was so soft, it had a blue comforter and the basic color scheme of the room was blue and brown. There was a desk (with computer) and a dresser in the room that were the same dark brown wood as the bedframe and the nightstands. On one wall was a TV on the wall with a couch, two chairs around a coffee table with a rug in the middle. Over towards the corner away from the door was an air hockey table and there was a large window that was pushed out with a seat that was made on top of low bookshelves with a full size bookshelf on either side, all filled with books. Mike's bathroom had a double sink a shower and a separate tub, it was amazing. The final room was a hobby room, or that's what Harvey called it. It was a simple room with a whole wall that was nothing but white boards, there was a desk up against a different wall with tools and electronic gadgets neatly organized around it. Harvey and Jessica had put this room together for Mike to build things or take things apart, they had gathered some electronics that were busted or unwanted and had put them in there as well.

"This place is amazing" Mike said after they were all gathered in the entryway again. The condo was more than he'd ever dreamed of.

"There's also a barbeque area on the deck and a pool and a gym downstairs for the use of the building" Harvey said.

Mike just kept looking around, he was mesmerized by the place and it showed. There was a knock on the door a couple minutes later and Donna was there with Jessica's parents, Edith and Harvey's brother in tow. "What's going on?" Mike asks as he eyes the new people skeptically.

"We invited the family out to celebrate your adoption" Jessica said. The two oldest people in the room came forward then and hugged their daughter. Once they were apart again Jessica turned to Mike and brought him forward with a hand on his back. "Mike, I want you to meet my parents, your grandparents, Robert and Rebecca" Jessica said gesturing to her parents in turn. Robert shook Mike's hand and Rebecca pulled him into a hug.

"It's wonderful to meet you" Rebecca said pulling away.

"Jessica's talked non-stop about you" Robert said.

"It's nice to meet you" Mike said politely.

Harvey brought Mike over to meet his brother next, "Mike, this is my brother, your uncle Marcus" Harvey said gesturing to his brother.

Marcus shook Mike's hand, "Nice to finally meet you," Marcus said looking Mike over, "From the way you talked I'd have thought he'd at least look older, seriously man how did you not know? I thought you could 'read people'" Marcus taunted Harvey.

Mike couldn't help but laugh at Harvey's indignant look, "I am excellent at reading people or do you not remember that time you almost went out with a guy?" Harvey responded.

"That was a one time thing" Marcus defended himself, "And at least he didn't look all of twelve"

"I'm good at getting people to see what I want" Mike said.

"But we won't be hiding ourselves anymore" Jessica said joining the conversation.

Mike didn't respond to that instead turning to his grandmother, "Hey Grammy" he said hugging her.

"Hello Michael" Edith said.

"Well, now that everyone's acquainted why don't we all head into the kitchen and eat cake and open presents" Donna said coming back into the entryway.

"Huh?" Mike asked, he hadn't even noticed Donna leave.

"I said there was cake and presents in the kitchen so let's go" Donna said grabbing Mike's arm and dragging him along.

Mike was brought into the kitchen and couldn't believe the pile of presents on the table sitting right next to a cake exclaiming, 'Welcome to the Family' on it. Jessica came up from behind him and put her hands on his shoulder, "Want to cut the cake?" she asked.

Mike looked back at her, "Sure" he said after a moment.

Everyone gathered around the cake then, Mike stood at the top of the table with Harvey and Jessica to either side of him, Marcus and Donna were next to Harvey and Robert and Rebecca stood next to Jessica. Edith stood at the other end of the table watching her grandson. Mike took the serving knife and then looked up at his grandmother, this was all a bit fast. Not even four hours ago the only family he had in the world was his dying grandmother and now he was standing around a table with parents, two grandmothers, a grandfather, an aunt, and an uncle.

Harvey saw Mike's hesitation, he put his hand over Mike's (the one with the knife), "Everyone's here to say that they're so happy you're part of the family" Harvey said quietly in his ear, "They're all ecstatic that you're one of us now, everything will be OK" Harvey promised.

Mike nodded, he again looked at Grammy, "What piece do you want?" he asked. It wasn't that he was ignoring the others or placed his grandmother above them he'd just always looked after her needs first.

Edith smiled, "Well I do like icing" she said.

Mike smiled and nodded cutting her a corner piece and passing it down, he then turned to Rebecca, ladies first, "Which piece?" he asked.

Rebecca smiled, "It doesn't matter to me" she said, "Why don't you take what you like" she suggested.

Mike looked down at the cake, in all honesty he preferred something out of the middle, he liked icing but he only wanted it on top and he didn't like a lot of it, just enough for a layer on top of the cake and that was all. He paused debating for a moment and then just decided to go for it. Smirking a little he started cutting a piece right out of the center.

Everyone was a little confused but Edith just busted out laughing, Mike started laughing quietly soon after. "Care to fill us in?" Marcus asked looking between the two.

"Michael isn't the biggest fan of icing" Edith said, "He never has been, always prefers the middle. I remember his first birthday, we had saved for months to get him a cake and then we set him down in front of it and he takes his fist and plunges it in the middle of the cake, pulling it out with cake and icing and shoves it in his mouth smiling up at all three of us. His mother got the hint, cut off the sides for him and he started eating around rather than through."

"Just goes to show that even as a baby I had good tastes" Mike said as he finally got his piece out and onto a plate.

"The icing is the best part" Marcus said.

"Icing is nice but there's just too much on the sides" Mike responded.

Everyone got their own pieces after that and the mood in the room was greatly improved. By they time they were done one section of the cake was gone and then there was a gaping hole in the middle. There was pleasant conversation held throughout, mostly stories of everyone's past. Once all had finished they cleaned up the dishes and the cake and then sat down at the table again.

"Present time" Donna said happily grabbing one and handing it over to Mike.

Mike looked at the presents, there were four there, not enough for everyone. "I didn't think to get one for you" Mike said.

Jessica took Mike's hand, "These are all for you Mike, you're the one receiving presents today not giving them" she said.

Mike looked confused, he'd never really been the one to receive presents except twice a year from his grandmother at Christmas and his birthday, they were never anything fancy but they were always given with thought and care. He couldn't help but feel a little excited looking at the pile in front of him, "All of them?" he asked quietly.

Everyone in the room couldn't help but feel bad at the way Mike seemed so surprised. No one should be so amazed by four, rather small, packages. "All of them Mike" Harvey said after clearing his throat.

Mike then looked down at the present in his hand; it had a little tag attached, it said, 'To: Mike, From: Uncle Marcus' he smiled at that and then opened it. It was a PSP along with three games. "Thank you" Mike said looking up at Marcus.

"I thought you might like a system that has internet access" Marcus said, "That way you don't have to borrow a computer just to hack into someone's security system" he teased.

"There'll be parental locks put on" Jessica said.

"Yeah, like those are hard to break" Mike said allowed.

"Next" Harvey said taking the box out of Mike's hand, shooting Marcus a pointed look and handing a new gift to Mike.

"Ooh, that one's from me" Donna said happily.

Mike ripped off the wrapping quickly and was surprised to find a rather nice set of colored pencils in a case along with drawing pencils and a sketch pad. "How?" he asked.

"I saw those sketches you made with just pen and notebook paper" Donna explained, "I wanted to see what you could do with the right tools"

"Thank you" Mike said.

Donna shrugged and handed him another present. Mike let Harvey put Donna's gift to the side and took the small package from Donna. It was from Edith. Mike opened the little box and stared in awe at the locket that was inside. It was a basic oval locket, nothing fancy, it was bronze colored and had a black rope for a string. He picked it up slowly and opened it, inside was the picture of him and his parents (the one Donna had found) on one side and a picture of he Harvey and Jessica on the other. Mike looked up at his grandmother speechless, it took a moment before he could say anything, "I can't take this from you" he said.

"Your father always wanted you to have it" Edith said gently.

Mike looked back down at the locket, completely oblivious to the others at the table who were watching him closely. He hesitated a moment before slipping the necklace on, it hung low and he tucked it into his shirt letting it rest right above his heart. It felt right there. "Thank you" he said hoarsely.

"It was time it went to its rightful owner" Edith said to her grandson. She looked around at the others at the table, "It belonged to my husbands father who gave it to my husband and then to my son and now" she said looking at Mike, "Now it belongs to my grandson" she finished.

Everyone looked at Mike in understanding; it was a family heirloom that was passed down to every generation. They didn't know it but it they were to take the two top pictures out they would find pictures of his grandparents and his great grand parents and his great great grand parents. It was the Ross version of a family album and it meant everything to both Edith and Mike. It was the only thing that wasn't sold.

Donna gave Mike a moment to collect himself before handing over the last present, this one from Rebecca and Robert. "We were told that you didn't have many photos of your family so we thought this would help" Rebecca explained as Mike opened the present.

Mike looked down at the scrap book, it was thick and sturdy, it was something that would last. He opened it slowly, as he looked through the pages he found pictures of Jessica as she was growing up and pictures of Harvey and Marcus as they were growing up as well. He found pictures of Donna and Harvey laughing together, he found pictures of Harvey at Harvard. There were pictures of Edith and Mike as well as the picture of Mike and his biological parents next to pictures of Mike and Harvey, a few of Mike and Jessica, some Mike and Donna, some of Mike, Harvey and Jessica, some of Mike, Harvey and Donna and some of all four of them. It was his old family and his new one.

They sat around the table for hours going through the album, everyone putting in the stories that went along with certain pictures. It was the perfect night to Mike, he was sitting there surrounded by a large family, and he never thought he would be so lucky. The night ended with the eight of them sitting together on the couch for a photo, it would go on the empty page in the back of the book.

It wasn't long after the photo was taken that Harvey and Jessica excused themselves and Mike and got him ready for bed. Mike was exhausted, he hadn't gotten much of a nap earlier and it had been a long, but wonderful, day. It didn't take much coaxing to get Mike into bed but he didn't want to sleep in fear that when he woke up it would be to find that all of this would just be a dream. His exhaustion won out however and soon Mike was asleep with, smiling. Harvey and Jessica snuck out once they were sure Mike was really sleeping and said good-bye to everyone else.

Jessica's parents lived on the other side of the city so they headed home, Donna took Edith back to the nursing home and Marcus took one of the spare bedrooms, he lived too far away to come and go in one night so he was leaving the next day.

Harvey lay awake in his bed in his new room. Everything had changed rather quickly compared to this time yesterday. He was thrilled though; there was no other way to put it. He was thrilled but he was also terrified.

Harvey was living with his boss. He was living with his boss and they had just adopted his associate. Harvey had no interest in Jessica; she was his mentor, friend and sometimes confidant but nothing more. Harvey just then realized that it would be rather awkward to bring women back to his place now, seeing that he shared it with two other people. As he thought about women though he couldn't help but think how it would affect Mike, he now had someone that would always be in his life, whom he was responsible for and he had to decide how he would deal with his dating life around said person.

That led him to the biggest reason for his sleeplessness, Mike. Harvey had been worried when the judge had started speaking about Mike's past and his inability to care for himself. He had been worried when the judge had said that it was a known practice to keep kids in the system until 21 years of age. Harvey couldn't explain the relief he felt when the judge had said that he was signing off on the adoption, that he encouraged it. Harvey was elated to be Mike's father but he was petrified that he was now responsible for Mike. Harvey was now responsible for another living being and it was nerve-wracking. Harvey imagined that this must be how new parents felt granted Mike was 18 but that really didn't seem all to different in Harvey's mind. Mike was under Harvey and Jessica's custody until he was 21, that was three years from now. For three years he would be responsible for making sure that Mike had enough to eat, enough sleep, was healthy and happy and that he kept the kid's mind active. Harvey was responsible for Mike completely.

He sighed as he rolled over. He couldn't help but think about the past couple of weeks, Mike had been so resistant when all of this started but he'd been too exhausted to put up much of a fight. Harvey and Jessica had pretty much made themselves responsible for Mike when they made him move in with Jessica and kept watch on him. Things really wouldn't be that different now only that he could legally protect Mike better.

An image of he and Mike playing catch together at the baseball game during the retreat came to mind. Mike had been laughing and joking with him as they passed the ball back and forth. At first Mike had been reluctant because he didn't know how to use a glove but the kid had caught on quick, Harvey had taught him how. Harvey smiled, he had taught his son how to play catch. He finally fell asleep to that thought, it was a good one.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When Mike was a little older than three he was placed with the Harrison's. It's strange to him that one of the first memories he has is being led into the small room that he was to occupy, there was a mound of towels and blankets on the floor for him and that was the only thing in the room. He had stayed there for about thirty minutes before he got bored, wondering into the living room however proved to be a very bad idea. Mr. Harrison had been watching TV when Mike walked in front of him, looking for entertainment. Mr. Harrison had been semi-patient at first and had just pushed him out of the way but after a couple of times he backhanded Mike to get him out of the way. That was the first time Mike had ever been hit, he had gone back to his 'room' then and stayed there. It escalated from there, first it was just a couple of bruises here and there and being refused meals, then it was the occasional cut or scrape, just deep enough to draw a little blood but nothing more. Eventually though it led to being burned with cigarettes and once he was hit over the head with a beer bottle, it broke on contact and he fell unconscious. That was the first family that Mike could remember being in the custody of.

Mike's eyes popped open and he was breathing heavily as he lay on his new bed. He didn't usually dream of his first day with the Harrison's but in a way it made sense. Honestly though it was stupid, the Harrison's were one of the better places that he'd been sent. It was funny thinking back, Mike hadn't been scared of the Harrison's at first and he had learned what a grave mistake that was, yesterday he hadn't been scared either and he really hoped that hadn't been a mistake.

He had told the judge that Harvey and Jessica would never hurt him and he had believed that but then he hadn't been in their custody. Yes he was living with Jessica at the time but he was still capable of leaving at any time if things got bad and there would have been nothing they could have done about it. That wasn't so much the case anymore. Mike didn't think that neither Harvey nor Jessica would hurt him but then he hadn't thought the Harrison's would hurt him either so there was still doubt. The good news out of all of this is that he already knew what they expected of him, so long as he did as he was supposed to they would have no reason to get mad at him which would mean they'd have to reason to hit him. Making up his mind Mike got out of bed, showered, cleaned up and made his bed, got dressed and went downstairs to make breakfast.

Jessica and Harvey walked into the kitchen a little confused, Jessica had gone to Harvey when she saw what Mike wasn't in his room but the bed was made. They had gone looking for him but were stopped quickly by a rather pleasant smell from the kitchen. Mike was currently standing next to the sink drying off the last of the pans and there were two plates of food on the table.

"So who is it that's not eating?" Harvey asked.

"I already ate" Mike answered finishing up and putting everything away.

"You ate?" Jessica asked skeptically.

Mike turned to face her, "I promise that I've already eaten breakfast" he said. It was the truth, he'd had a piece of toast.

Harvey and Jessica watched Mike for a moment before accepting the answer, "You didn't have to make breakfast you know" Harvey said.

Mike shrugged, "I was bored" he said. "I'm gonna finish getting dressed for work" Mike said as he headed upstairs.

Jessica and Harvey watched him go, "That was a little strange" Jessica said sitting down.

"Yeah, but he didn't do anything" Harvey said.

It wasn't long after that all three of them were walking into the office. Mike had been quiet all morning, not saying a word since he left the kitchen and it was starting to worry Harvey and Jessica. They let him be though figuring he was still getting over what the judge had said yesterday and that he would relax soon.

Mike didn't seem to be coming around though, every day was quickly falling into a pattern. Mike would wake up first, he would clean his room and make breakfast (eating on his own) and clean the kitchen, he would work at his cubicle quietly until lunch at which time he would go to either Harvey's or Jessica's office to eat and then lay down for an hour. After his nap he would go back to his cubicle until it was time to leave, either Harvey or Jessica would take him home (they worked later than he did) where Mike would go straight to his room no matter how many times he was asked if he wanted to play a game or watch a movie Mike would decline politely and then stay quietly in his room until dinner. Whomever brought Mike home would then go work in their home office. Mike would eat dinner and then go right back to his room where he stayed until the next morning. The only deviation in the schedule was visiting Mike's grandmother and even then he seemed more closed off than usual.

Harvey, Donna and Jessica were becoming increasingly concerned, Mike seemed to have closed in on himself and it wasn't healthy. They weren't certain what caused this sudden change so Donna called her sister to see if she could help. Donna's sister said that she really couldn't say for sure but they did schedule a session between Mike and her for Saturday afternoon.

It was Saturday morning now and Harvey and Jessica had agreed not to go into the office today. They woke to find breakfast on the table but the kitchen was already cleaned, as well as the rest of the condo. Harvey sighed and left the kitchen forgoing breakfast. Harvey headed straight for Mike's room with Jessica right on his heels.

Harvey knocked on Mike's door before opening the door and walking into the room. "OK, what's goin…" Harvey started but he stopped speaking when he realized that Mike was sitting in a ball on the floor staring at the window.

When Mike saw Harvey and Jessica in his room he shot up, "Did you need something?" he asked.

Harvey stared at Mike for a moment, the kid seemed tense, nervous. Harvey didn't get it Mike had been obsessively keeping everything clean and organized all throughout the house and yet his room looked as though it hadn't been touched since that first night. The books and the electronics all had a this layer of dust on them, even the bed looked unused. "What's wrong?" he asked coming across the room to Mike.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked confused. As far as he could tell he'd done nothing wrong, he'd made breakfast, cleaned up, did his work, ate, slept (granted on the floor) and done as told. He hadn't argued with them he had been polite he had stayed out of their way. What was this about?

"He means, why are you suddenly locking yourself away?" Jessica asked coming over to join them.

Mike looked between then, "Have I done something?" he asked.

"No" Harvey said, "and that's the point"

"Huh?" Mike asked.

"You've been locking yourself away in here and staring out the window all day. I don't get it" Harvey said.

"Have I been bothering you?" Mike asked trying to figure this out. He didn't think that sitting quietly would bother them, it had made him extremely bored but he'd just slept a bit more or run through his mental library of books and/or television and movies. He was determined not to screw this up, he really wanted to be here, safe, if he didn't do anything wrong then he would never be punished and if he was never punished then they wouldn't know. Because if these two learned how bad Mike really was they would beat him just like all his foster parents had. The Harrison's had explained it, they were teaching him to be good, something that he clearly didn't learn because they returned him. The Baxter's had tried to fix him as well but they gave up and he had left the Donner's because he thought they were going a bit far at it. He didn't want Harvey and Jessica to start.

Harvey sighed, "Mike, you've done nothing wrong so calm down" he said.

Mike looked confused. He had become stiff as a board and had hunched in on himself making a smaller target. He wasn't moving and his eyes had been resting on Harvey's hands rather than his face.

Jessica walked over and put a hand on Mike's shoulder, the effect was immediate. Mike jerked back and crouched into a ball huddled against the corner. "I don't understand" Mike said, "Just tell me and I'll fix it" he pleaded.

It hit Harvey then, the understanding, the reason as to why Mike was doing this. They now had custody of Mike, they were now in charge of Mike legally and there was nothing Mike could do about it. If Mike tried to leave they could force him to come back and it would be legal. The only experience Mike had with that was bad and he was afraid.

Harvey crouched down in front of Mike and held his hands out, keeping them where Mike could see them. "Mike" he said softly, "You have done **nothing** wrong, you aren't in trouble. We're just concerned about you" he tried.

Mike kept his eyes locked onto Harvey's hands, never blinking. "If I've been good then why are you here?" he asked.

Jessica came over and bent down next to Harvey also keeping her hands out in plain sight. "We're here because you're not happy" she said.

Mike's eyes flicked in surprise at that but never left their hands, "What does that matter?" he asked finally.

"Because we care about you and we want you to be happy" Jessica answered. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him until he'd calmed down but she knew that if she even attempted to touch him right now it would ruin everything.

Mike was so confused, he knew that Harvey and Jessica had never hurt him, would never hurt him but he also knew that any time someone had custody of him he ended up screwing everything up and then he was in pain. "You want that now" was Mike's final response.

Harvey was confused there, "We always have and always will want the best for you" he responded. He looked over to Jessica and his eye caught something under the bed, it was strange since everything else was exactly as it was the last Harvey was in here.

"But things are different now" Mike said bringing Harvey's attention back around.

"Nothing is different now than it was this time last week other than the fact that we adopted you" Jessica said.

"But you have custody of me" Mike said as though it explained everything and, in a way, it did.

Harvey reached forward slowly and placed his hand gently on Mike's knee, Mike jumped but then just sat there tense. "As far as I know I've had custody of you since I hired you after all you were hired as _my_ associate and you've been under _my_ control since then and you're still here aren't you?" Harvey asks.

Mike looked at Harvey confused, "But now you're responsible for what I do" Mike said, "If I screw up you're the one that's gonna be held responsible"

Harvey laughed lightly, "Do you remember the patent issue? Or you getting high? Or you getting Joy to want to sell her company?" he asked, "I have been responsible for you since you started and I will continue to do so. You already know how I handle things, I put you in the corner or I restrict you from things and I may ground you now but otherwise nothings changed there" he said. Harvey kept his hand on Mike's knee and he was happy when he could feel Mike's tension loosen as he spoke.

Mike studied Harvey, everything the man said was true. Mike had been banned from going to a meeting or two when he'd been back talking a bit more than Harvey appreciated, he'd been made to stand in the corner more times than he liked ever since Harvey had learned his age. Harvey had taken responsibility for a lot of things that Mike had gotten wrong. Harvey really had been responsible for Mike ever since he started and Harvey had never made Mike afraid, was it really going to stay that way? "I'll screw it up" Mike said shaking his head.

"You will never screw it up" Jessica said placing her hand on Mike's other knee, Mike stiffened again but he didn't jump that was progress. "You could never screw it up"

Mike scoffed, "I always screw it up" he said.

"What do you mean always?" Harvey asked confused. Mike had never lived in a place where he was safe, given a chance to make mistakes, how could he screw anything up?

"Why do you think they did it?" Mike asked softly.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"I'm a screw up, I ruin everything. I ruined it with the Harrison's, I ruined it with the Baxter's and I ruined it with the Donner's" Mike answered.

Harvey felt sick, "You ruined **nothing** they are the one's who ruined a good thing. They are the one's who are the screw ups" oh how he wanted to add more 'colorful' adjectives but he and Jessica were always getting on Mike for cussing so he couldn't very well do so. "Look at me Mike" Harvey said, he waited patiently for Mike to meet his eyes, "You are perfect, there is nothing you can do to screw up this family, nothing. I give you my word on that" Harvey said.

Mike really wanted to believe Harvey, he wanted it more than anything but there was just so much experience in his past to say otherwise.

"Mike" Jessica said.

Mike hesitantly looked away from Harvey and to Jessica.

Jessica looked into Mike's eyes and she just couldn't help it, she reached out and brought Mike to her, wrapping her arms around him, she could feel Mike stiffen but she just kept him there and eventually Mike started to relax. It took almost an hour until Mike had fully relaxed into Jessica.

"I'm sorry" Mike said eventually.

"You've done nothing wrong, you have no reason to apologize" Jessica said.

Mike sighed, they rarely did want to hear his apologies. He just let it be for the moment and closed his eyes, relaxing where he was secure in the idea that he really was safe in Jessica's arms. It was a strange feeling since he's been so afraid of upsetting them all week, or what they'd do and yet he always felt safe when he was wrapped up in one of them. He'd missed this throughout the week.

Harvey let them be, it was good for Mike. He once again diverted his attention to the item under the bed, he reached over and pulled it out surprised to see that it was the sketchpad that Donna had given him. He opened it to the first page only to find a picture of some disgusting building that looked as though it would fall apart at any minute, there was a small closet with a door open on the wall in the picture and there were five boys huddled over the picture, as though they were looking down at it and the boys looked murderous. Harvey's gut churned as he looked at it and he couldn't help but wonder where Mike had come up with this. He turned to the next image, it was of a mall security guard looming over the picture with his arm resting on a chair over a smaller arm, there was also a small arm on the other side of the chair but it had a handcuff around it. Harvey got it then, what these pictures were, they were Mike's memories. That was why it looked as though he were looking through someone's eyes, because he was, he was looking through Mike's eyes at the people who had hurt him. Harvey kept turning the pages, there were six in all and they were all bad.

By the time Harvey was finished, the doorbell rang, "I'll get it" he said standing up and bringing the sketchbook with him, he knew who it was.

Harvey opened the front door and greeted Donna's sister Clarice, "Thanks for coming" he said.

"No problem" Clarice said shaking hands with Harvey. "What's wrong?" she asked seeing that there was clearly something wrong.

"Mike's afraid we're going to beat him" Harvey choked out. It was a disgusting notion but he really couldn't blame the kid.

Clarice sighed, "I thought that might be part of it" she said.

Harvey nodded and led her up to Mike's room. Mike and Jessica were now sitting on the couch, how Jessica had managed to pull that off Harvey didn't know. Clarice walked over in front of Mike and crouched down offering her hand, "Hello Mike, I'm Donna's sister Clarice, I've heard a lot about you" she said.

Mike stared at her, he had heard of Clarice and he was aware of what she did for a living, "I don't need a shrink" he said to Harvey and Jessica.

Harvey smirked, the kid always amazed him, "We think it would help" he said. He and Jessica had discussed this and decided that Mike seeing a therapist would be something that was a united front, they would stick together and they wouldn't let Mike try to con his way out of it.

"Why don't you two head out" Clarice suggested to Harvey and Jessica.

They were hesitant but did as asked and soon Clarice and Mike were alone in the room. "I don't know what you've heard or think about therapists but why don't we just start with the knowledge that no matter what you tell me, I will keep it between us and I won't judge you for it, I give you my word" Clarice said.

Mike stared blankly at her, "You can't promise that, Harvey and Jessica have custody of me, you'd have to tell them" he said.

"You're my client, I don't care who has custody of you, you are the one I protect" Clarice said in a defining tone.

Mike stared at her a moment longer before making his decision.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Harvey and Jessica sat nervously in the living room waiting for Clarice to come out of Mike's room. They already knew that she wouldn't tell them what was discussed; she had warned them from the start that she needed to be able to have Mike's trust or else he wouldn't say a thing to her. It would take time to gain Mike's trust but it could be done.

Jessica looked over at Harvey and, for the first time, noticed the sketchpad in Harvey's hands. "Is that the one Donna gave Mike?" she asked.

Harvey was startled out of his thoughts, "What? Oh, Yeah" he said handing it over.

Jessica started looking through the drawings, "These are very detailed" she said eventually.

"There his memories" Harvey said stonily.

Jessica sighed; she had gathered that as well. "We can't change his past" she said, "We can only hope to make his future better"

"I know" Harvey said. It was a hollow statement and he hated that, he would give anything to be able to change Mike's past, to make it a better one. It truly bothered Harvey that he couldn't fix this, he was Harvey Specter, he could fix anything. He could fix anything but what mattered most.

Clarice came downstairs a few minutes later; she had been talking with Mike for an hour and a half. Harvey and Jessica stood once they saw her, "How is he?" Jessica asked.

"He's nervous, a little scared but mostly he's confused. He's waiting for the other shoe to drop and the only way to fix that is to keep going as you have been but it might be a good idea to make sure that he isn't on his own so much, it's not healthy. He's talking to me but it's little things, I think he's testing me, wanting to see what comes back to you. Just give him time and take care of him, you two know what you're doing even if it doesn't seem that way. You're the best thing for him at the moment."

"Thank you for doing this" Harvey said. He hated that he had to go to someone else in order to help Mike, he hated that he wasn't able to handle it himself but he was grateful that Clarice was there.

"It's no problem." Clarice said.

"How often do we schedule this?" Jessica asked.

"I think once a week is fine, I have the same time available next week if you'd like or we can work something else out" Clarice said. "Oh, before I forget, it might be beneficial to start referring to yourselves and each as mom and dad around Mike, when talking about the other to Mike say that 'your mother went…' or 'your father will be ready' it'll help Mike get used to the idea. He hasn't called anyone mom or dad, at least no one that he can remember or who is alive, it's not something he's used to and it will be good if you slip it into normal conversation."

"We'll be sure to do that and the same time's fine" Jessica said.

They all shook hands and Clarice left soon after. Harvey and Jessica turned and headed up to see Mike. The door to Mike's bedroom was open but Harvey knocked anyway, wanting to announce his presence so as not to startle the kid. "Hey" he said when Mike turned around to look at him.

"Hey" Mike said from the couch. He looked down to his sketchbook in Jessica's hand, he had known that Harvey had it, had seen it when Harvey and Jessica left him with Clarice. He had debated on whether or not to take it form him but really didn't want to fight over it, there was nothing in there that he could change.

Jessica followed Mike's gaze to the sketchbook in her hand, "Here" she said holding it out to him.

"Thanks" Mike said taking it from her. He opened the book to the last picture he'd drawn. It was of one of the teams he'd played on when he went to the park. They had been walking away when a couple of the older boys, they were in a gang of some sort, at the edge of the picture following them. He swallowed, staring at the picture the entire time as he started to talk "We had almost lost that game" he started.

Jessica and Harvey were surprised but they weren't going to stop Mike if he wanted to talk about his past. They took seats on either side of him quietly and let him continue at his own pace.

"It was cold out, really cold, and there weren't a lot of kids there to play so everyone who showed up was put onto a team and each one was still two short. Neither team was that good so the betting pool had some strange odds, this one 'group' had bet a lot of money on the team I was on and this one boy, Twikie" Mike smirked at the name, "That's what he introduced himself as although I think he got it off of some show" he sobered soon after, "Twikie wasn't the best player and he almost cost us the game, the 'group' had been pissed. A few of us had left together and the 'group' followed us, once we realized what was going on we all tried to run, I led Twikie down a side street, he was my friend" Mike paused. Twikie had been the only one that he'd befriended, he was smaller and weaker than Mike and he'd just felt sorry for the kid.

It took a moment before Mike continued and Harvey and Jessica could hear that his voice was strained.

"The 'group' followed us, leaving the others. They were bigger and faster than us and they caught us easily. They grabbed us both and dragged us down an alley, there was no one around, not that any one would have stopped it, not in that part of town." Mike sighed here, "By the time I woke up Twikie was laying beside me, he uh…. He wasn't…" Mike said but he couldn't continue, he had liked Twikie and he hadn't been able to stop his death, hadn't been able to protect him. Mike had never made a friend again until Trevor.

"Oh sweetheart" Jessica said pulling Mike close. Harvey moved over and soon Mike was pressed between them.

Mike allowed it, he wasn't in the mood to fight. He allowed Jessica and Harvey to trap him and he was surprised that he didn't remember feeling safer. "I didn't save him" he said..

"You did everything you could" Harvey assured him.

"He would have been 18 today" Mike said quietly.

That hit Harvey, "How old was he when it happened?" he asked hesitantly.

"Four days shy of 8" Mike answered. He and Twikie hadn't been that far apart in age, it had been nice hanging out with him. "We met when I went to the park for the first time. He didn't make a team but he stayed to watch and then we just started talking after" Mike always missed Twikie at this time of the year. Twikie was the only person that Mike had ever grouped with and he was also one of the reasons Mike refused to join a group after Twikie's death.

"I'm sorry Mike, I'm so sorry" Jessica said slowly.

"We were the only two there who didn't have at least one other person to hang out with. Most of the kids, they would form groups and then as they got older different gangs would incorporate them. Twikie wasn't wanted by any group and I was new, we became friends" Mike said.

"Mike" Harvey said hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Mike asked.

"The 'groups' who placed bets?" Harvey asked leaving the question open.

"They were" Mike answered, he knew what Harvey was asking but he wasn't going to say it allowed.

Harvey and Jessica just held Mike closer, they didn't know why Mike had decided to share this story with them but guessed it had something to do with Clarice and couldn't help but feel that they had done the right thing.

They stayed on the couch together for a good half hour until Mike fell asleep, he hadn't been sleeping well that week and he was tired. Harvey and Jessica were warm and safe and he slipped off once he'd clamed down enough.

Harvey stood and lifted Mike, bringing him over to the bed while Jessica turned down the covers. Once Mike was tucked in they dusted the room and then cracked the door before heading out. Mike needed the sleep.

They let Mike sleep, he needed it. Mike eventually woke up around three thirty; he stretched as he walked down to the kitchen to find Harvey and Jessica. "Hey, sleep well?" Jessica asked when she saw Mike.

Mike smirked, "Yeah actually" he said. He was still nervous about this but after talking with Harvey, Jessica and then Clarice he was starting to calm down.

"Good" Jessica said placing a plate of fruit in front of Mike, he'd missed lunch and it was too soon to dinner to feed him a full meal but he did need to eat.

Mike looked down at the plate; he'd been eating less this past week and keeping a small cache of food, non-perishable, in his room just incase. His stomach hadn't been happy about it but he it made him feel safer in the long run. He looked over the plate but there was nothing here that he could keep so he actually ate everything. When he was finished he looked up at the two watching him.

"Ready to see your grandmother?" Harvey asked. It was a little earlier than they had planned but it would be good for Mike to see her a little longer.

"Yeah" Mike said nodding his head.

"OK, lets go then" Jessica said grabbing her car keys. She didn't want to wait for her driver or Ray to come around; just driving herself would be quicker.

It didn't take long until they arrived only when they got to the room there was a large number of staff members crowded around the bed. Mike walked into the room hesitantly, something was wrong,

When they saw Mike one of the staff started to usher him out of the room apologizing and offering platitudes, Mike started pushing against them not hearing what they were saying, until Harvey came over and laid a hand on his shoulder taking him to a seat in the hallway. Mike froze then and let the reality of the situation sink in, he couldn't believe it, she was supposed to have three more weeks, she was supposed to have made it longer.

Mike didn't even realize that he'd started crying or that Jessica and Harvey had taken a seat on either side of him on the small couch. He just sat there dazed for what seemed like hours. They wheeled his grandmother out of the room and a nurse came by with paperwork and apologies but Mike noticed none of it. Harvey dealt with the paperwork and then Jessica and Harvey led Mike out to the car and took him home. Mike went straight up to his room, climbed into the bed and curled up in a ball, he stayed there the rest of the day.

The next two days were a haze to Mike, Harvey and Jessica wouldn't let him alone, he was kept in one of their offices at all times, it was like when he had to be kept off work because of his arm only this time he was actually given work to do. Mike wasn't allowed to burry himself in his work however, he also had breaks and he had to plan his grandmother's funeral thankfully though Harvey, Jessica and Donna were willing to help.

The day of the funeral Mike, Harvey, Jessica and Donna didn't head into the office. Jessica's parents met them at the funeral home along with Marcus and Clarice; Mike couldn't believe that they had all shown up for the funeral of someone they had only met once. There were a few other people there who had known his grandmother, mostly others from the nursing home, Rachael showed up as well (she and Mike were still friends, Harvey, Jessica and Donna thought it might be healthy for Mike to have someone at the office he could talk to other than the three of them) but the real shock was at the end, after Mike's eulogy.

Mike saw them before the others and he quietly slunk off to greet them. Despite what had happened they were still the only two who had really known Edith and Mike desperately wanted some familiarity. That didn't mean he had forgiven Trevor though.

"I'm so sorry" Jenny said as she reached forward to hug Mike.

"She was the kindest person I knew" Trevor said in sympathy.

"Thanks" Mike said quietly.

"How'd it…" Jenny asked but she couldn't finish the sentence.

"They said she fell asleep and didn't wake up. Said she wouldn't have noticed, wouldn't have felt anything" Mike answered.

"That's good" Trevor said apologetically.

"Yeah" Mike said.

They stood there in awkward silence for a moment, this tragedy may have brought them all together but there was still a lot of distrust there.

"What are you doing here?" Harvey asked annoyed. He'd come over as soon as he'd seen whom Mike was talking to. He pushed Mike behind him as he talked, placing himself between Mike and Trevor and Jenny.

"Harvey they just came to pay their respects" Mike said trying to placate the man. It wasn't going to happen.

"You need to go" Harvey said looking directly at Trevor. He wasn't Jenny's biggest fan either but she hadn't done anything to get Mike arrested or fired so if she wanted to pay her respects to Edith before vanishing again Harvey wouldn't stop her.

"We should go" Trevor said to Jenny. "I am sorry Mike" he said before he and Jenny turned to leave.

"Thanks for coming" Mike said politely.

Harvey waited for Trevor and Jenny to leave before turning to Mike, "The next time you see them, don't go up to them" he ordered.

"They were just here for the funeral" Mike argued.

Harvey took a deep breath, Mike wasn't in a state for this, they could have this argument later but today wasn't the day. "OK" Harvey said eventually in as calm a voice as he could. Mike sighed and headed back to the rest of the group.

The rest of the day was somber, Robert and Rebecca headed home not long after, having made plans for thanksgiving and giving Mike their apologies. Clarice said goodbye and headed home herself. Jessica, Harvey, Donna, Marcus and Mike all headed back to the condo. Mike didn't say much for most of the day. It wasn't until after dinner that Marcus finally got Mike to loosen up.

Marcus had felt bad for Mike, the kid had lost the last of his biological family and while he had been aware it was coming it still had to hurt. He had been watching Mike mope around all day and decided to try and get the kid to crack a smile. The answer Marcus came up with – picture charades.

Everyone was hesitant at first but Marcus had created some rather off the wall words and phrases and soon they were all laughing their heads off. It was quite a sight to watch Jessica try to get Donna to guess Kung Fu (they were playing guys v.s. girls with Marcus not on any team but rather the score keeper and making sure that no one cheated). Donna never got the word because no one could stop laughing and the timer ran out.

Harvey read Mike to sleep that night, the kid finally fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time since this happened. It was a wonderful ending to a horrible day.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Mike's phone woke him up on Monday morning. He groped around for it on his nightstand before bringing it up to his ear, not even looking at who was calling. "Hello" he said.

_"Hey Mike"_

"Jenny?" Mike said confused.

_"Yeah, listen I was wondering if you wanted to get together later today, away from your boss. Let me say a proper goodbye?" _Jenny asked hopefully.

Mike paused, he didn't think Harvey and Jessica would like it, they had been rather controlling about who he was allowed to spend time with. He'd already had to turn Tom down… and that made up his mind "Sure, how about three at your place?" Mike said. He was tired of having Harvey and Jessica control who he could and could not hang out with, Jenny was his friend, he had been the one to hurt her and if she wanted to hang out then so be it. He could use the familiarity, someone who didn't treat him like a child, it would be good.

_"Perfect, I'll see you then"_ Jenny said, she hung up after.

Mike rolled out of bed and got ready for the day; breakfast was already on the table when he came down.

The day was basic; Mike and Harvey met with Keller over lunch, it was a typical work lunch, nothing out of the ordinary until the end.

Keller tried to talk to Mike alone at the end, he held him back, "Hey, you want to catch a game this weekend?" he asked.

"Yea…" Mike started but he stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He gulped and looked behind him, Harvey didn't look happy.

"Mike's busy this weekend, I think it best that the two of you keep to a professional relationship" Harvey said politely but with a hint of an edge.

Keller looked confused at Harvey, "No offense but I believe that what happens outside of working hours is none of your business" he said.

Harvey tightened his grip on Mike's shoulder slightly. "Everything Mike does is my business" Harvey said.

Mike shifted his gaze between Harvey and Keller, both were glaring at each other and if this went on any longer they would either be yelling of fighting. Sighing but knowing there wasn't really any other choice, "I didn't tell you everything" Mike admitted quietly.

"What?" Keller asked turning to Mike.

"I might not have been completely honest about my age" Mike said.

"What's that mean?" Keller asked.

"Mike's 18, ten years younger than you are" Harvey said simply.

"Wait, what?" Keller asked confused.

Mike sighed, "I'm 18" he repeated.

"Why didn't you say?" Keller asked confused. He really didn't care how old Mike was, he was smart and clever and they always had a good time hanging out.

"I didn't say because no one knew. It was easier when no one knew" Mike answered.

"Well," Keller said, "you want to catch a game this weekend?" he asked again.

Mike smiled at that and was nodding his head and about to agree when Harvey stepped in, "He's ten years younger than you. You both need to find people your own age to hang out with" he said. Before Keller could respond Harvey was already leading Mike out of the restaurant.

"You didn't have to do that, he just wanted to watch a game" Mike said angrily once they were in the car.

"We've already discussed this" Harvey responded.

"He didn't care about my age" Mike argued.

"You need to spend time with people your own age not with a 28 year old pot head" Harvey said.

"It was one time!" Mike exclaimed.

Harvey turned to Mike, "One time is too many. This is not a discussion, this is not a debate, you are not to be anywhere near Keller without your mother or I present and that's the end of it" Harvey stated. Mike opened his mouth to protest but Harvey cut him off, "Keep it up and you'll be standing in the corner before your nap" he said.

Mike glared at Harvey but kept quiet. He pouted the rest of the way back to the office and sulked on the couch while he should have been sleeping. He hated this, his grandmother had never treated him like a child, she had respected that he was able to take care of himself and she had let him. Why couldn't Harvey and Jessica do the same, even Donna was becoming unbearable.

Mike practically sprinted to his cubicle as soon as he was allowed, he wanted away from Harvey and Donna's watchful eyes. Mike looked at his watch once he sat down, it was two, he had an hour before he was supposed to meet Jenny. He worked steadily for the next fifteen minutes before sneaking out of the building.

Mike had thought it would be harder to sneak out of the building than it was. In truth the security at the office was rather horrid, it was child's play to get down to the lobby without anyone noticing. Once out of the building Mike hailed a cab and headed to Jenny's place.

"Hey" Jenny said answering her door, "Come in"

Mike walked past Jenny into the apartment, "I thought it was just you and me?" Mike said confused upon seeing Trevor in the room.

"I knew her too and… I wanted to say I'm sorry man, I know what she meant to you" Trevor said.

Mike stared at Trevor for a little while, he had seemed sincere and Mike was pretty good at reading people so he doubted there was anything else to this. He had been having a horrible day, a horrible week and he really wanted to be with his old friends, people who didn't treat him like a child, who respected him and understood what his life had been like before, at least some of his life. Trevor did know a few things and Jenny had guessed at some of it so they were aware of the basics of his past. Mike had never told them what he'd told Harvey, Jessica and Donna but the three of them hadn't been there helping Mike whenever he had no place to go.

"Thanks" Mike said finally.

The three of them spent the next two hours talking, drinking and getting high. It was just like old times, Mike couldn't believe how easy it was to be with Jenny and Trevor. They didn't expect Mike to act like a child and they didn't try and make him take a nap or eat a 'decent' meal, they didn't treat Mike like a child and he didn't act like one. Mike enjoyed spending time with them but he couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong, as though he was lying to them, to himself.

Mike would have been happy to stay there for another two hours but he got a phone call from Harvey, "Where are you?" Harvey ground out.

Mike gulped, the tone alone told him that Harvey was pissed let alone the irritation behind it. "I… I'm… Um…" Mike stuttered.

Mike could hear Harvey taking a deep breath on his side of the phone. He was about to try again when Trevor called out, loud enough to be heard by Harvey, _"Hey, who is it?"_

"Tell me that's not who I think it is" Harvey said slowly.

Mike didn't say anything and that was all the confirmation required, "Where are you" Harvey demanded.

"I… I'm.." Mike started. He was screwed, there was no way around it. He would have to face Harvey eventually and experience has told him that the longer he put it off the worst it would be, "I'm at Jenny's" Mike answered finally.

"Address" Harvey ordered.

Mike gave him the address and then hung up the phone. "I'm gonna go" he said to Trevor and Jenny.

"Who was it?" Trevor asked. He had been around Mike for years and he was always the one to defend him, no matter how they felt about each other Trevor couldn't change the fact that he was the one to stand up for Mike, he was the only one to stand up for Mike. He was in charge and Mike had always respected that, at least until he started working for Harvey, Trevor didn't like Harvey.

"It was work, I have to get back" Mike answered.

"Bullshit" Trevor said. "That was your control freak of a boss and I bet he wouldn't give a shit if you weren't with your friends"

"Trevor just let it be" Mike sighed, "Look this has been great, thank you. I can't tell you what it means to do this again, let it be like old times just his once but there's a reason we stopped hanging out and I think we should keep to it" Mike said heading for the door.

Trevor moved in front of Mike, "You're not going anywhere" Trevor said.

"Trevor…" Mike started to protest.

"No! That man is a dictator and you shouldn't be anywhere near him. He doesn't care about you he just want's a flunky who he can work to death. Every time I've seen you since you started working there you've looked exhausted and I'm willing to bet he doesn't even know how little you eat. I'm the one who looks out for you, I'm the one who helps you" Trevor was now pushing Mike back with each sentence moving him farther and farther into the apartment. "That man is working you to death and I don't think you should go back there, it's not healthy for you" Trevor was becoming sick of being put after Harvey and now that he had Mike here, drunk and stoned (Trevor had actually cut back as soon as Mike had picked up the joint) he wasn't about to let Mike leave. Trevor wanted things to go back to the way they were when he was raking in the money, dating Jenny, and the only source of help Mike had. Trevor was in charge then over everything and he'd liked it.

Mike was starting to get nervous, Trevor was scaring him, he had a wild look in his eyes and Mike was afraid that one wrong move and he would end up with a black eye. Trevor had been like this before but never this bad and only when he thought he was being threatened. "Trevor, please" Mike said.

Trevor had just started screaming when Harvey busted through the door followed closely by Jessica and Donna. Everyone in the apartment turned to face them and all three couldn't help but notice the look of relief that flooded Mike's face. Harvey held out his hand and gestured for Mike to join him. Mike rushed past Trevor, who was still standing shocked, and hurried behind Harvey to Donna and Jessica who wrapped their arms around him and led him out of the apartment and into Ray's car.

Mike, Jessica and Donna sat in the car quietly waiting for Harvey to join them. Mike just sat there in silence, locked away in whatever memory or fear that this had brought up. He was half out of it from the booze and the weed but he was still somewhat aware of where he was an Trevor's outburst had certainly brought him back to focus more than he was.

Harvey got into the car a few minutes later and the ride to the condo was in silence. Harvey, Jessica and Mike all got out at their building and then Ray took Donna back to the office. As soon as they got inside Harvey turned to Mike, "Go upstairs, take a shower and get to bed" he ordered.

Mike stared at Harvey and Jessica. He had been petrified of Trevor and then Harvey and Jessica had come in and gotten him out of there safely, Mike didn't really want to be away from Harvey and Jessica right now, he didn't know if it was the adrenaline, the fear, the weed, the beer or some mix of all three but he was linking Harvey and Jessica with safety at the moment. "Please" he said pleadingly.

Jessica looked confused, "Please what Mike?" she asked.

Mike looked to Jessica, "Please don't make me" he begged.

Harvey and Jessica looked to each other thoroughly confused, Mike was literally begging them not to send him upstairs but they couldn't figure out why. Mike sounded and looked absolutely broken and, no matter how upset they were, they couldn't send him away like this. "OK" Jessica said.

Mike looked so relieved and he practically threw himself at them, "Thank you" he said, "I know I'm a f…up but thank you"

Harvey's complete attention jerked to what Mike had just said. He pulled back to look Mike in the eye, "Who told you that?" he asked calmly. He had learned early on that Mike would clam up if he thought that Harvey was upset at him.

"The Harrison's, the Baxter's, the Donner's…" Mike started listing off the people from memory, in truth there were many more.

"OK, name one person who's not a worthless piece of shit whose said that" Harvey amended his statement.

Mike looked confused, "They were just trying to teach me, to help me. They couldn't though, I'm too f…up to help. I never learned, no matter how many times they tried to beat it into me, I never learned" Mike said.

Harvey and Jessica both had to work very hard to remain calm, Mike was talking and they didn't want to stop him but if he ever thought that they were upset he wouldn't speak again, it didn't matter if they were upset at him or for him. Harvey led the three of them over to the couch in the living room. "Those… people, were not 'helping' you" Harvey said calmly but with complete certainty.

Mike smirked and gave a hollow laugh, "Why is it that you can be so sure of that when you didn't even know me back then. I suck now but back then I was so much worse" he said.

"You are an amazing young man" Jessica said, "I don't have to have known you then to know that what happened to you, what you were told, it was wrong. No one deserves to be tortured"

Mike looked over at her, "I wasn't tortured" he said.

"Yes, you were" Harvey said, "While not everything might fall under that definition there is still quite a bit of it that would"

Mike shook his head, "torture is something that happens to prisoners of war, I wasn't a prisoner" he argued.

"Yes you were" Jessica said firmly, "Those people kept you a prisoner and they abused and tortured you"

Mike shook his head again but this time he didn't stop. He didn't want to believe it because then everything would be wrong, so, so, wrong. It had been allowed by so many people, "if it was wrong then why did nobody stop it?" he finally asked.

"I don't know" Harvey said in defeat, he didn't know and there really was nothing he could do. He had looked up Mike's old social worker and she had passed away last year, he had looked up where the Harrison's and the Baxter's were today and found that both of them had ended up in jail for one crime or another. Harvey really couldn't do anymore to them unless he killed them and he couldn't do that because then he'd be forced to leave Mike. "I promise you that it won't happen again though" he said with finality.

Mike studied him for a long time, "You know the two of you are the closest thing I've ever had to parents" he said, "I'm sorry"

"I know you are kiddo but we're not going to talk about this now" Harvey said.

Mike hung his head, Harvey and Jessica were mad, he had screwed this up and he didn't know how to fix it. "It's time for bed" Jessica said. It was early actually, just going on seven, but Mike was already showing signs of being tired and it had been a long day. Mike was still high and drunk and he the sleep would help. She stood up and got a glass of water and some aspirin from the downstairs bathroom taking them to Mike, "Take this, it will help" she instructed.

Mike didn't argue, just did as instructed and took the pills but he still didn't want to leave so he just sat there. "Come on Mike, time for bed" Harvey said starting to stand up to lead Mike upstairs.

Mike grabbed Harvey's suit jacket and practically yanked him off his feet while trying to stop him, "You said I didn't have to go away" he said.

Harvey looked down at the bright blue puppy dog eyes and sighed, for some reason Mike seemed to be terrified of being away from them. Harvey wanted to know why but he wasn't about to press the answer out of Mike when he was in this state. "Alright, tell you what" Harvey said. "Let's all get changed, you can stay with me, and then you will come down here and sleep on the couch while your mother and I work off the coffee table" Harvey said.

Mike nodded his assent and stood up to follow Harvey upstairs, still holding onto the man's suit jacket.

It took a little while for both Harvey and Mike to change, the main problem being that Mike didn't want to loose sight of Harvey, but eventually all three of them were regrouped in the living room. Jessica put a blanket over Mike once he was laid out on the couch and then she and Harvey got to work as Mike went to sleep.

Around 12:30 Harvey and Jessica started to wrap up their work and they looked over at the sleeping figure on the couch. Mike looked so young and innocent when he slept that it always amazed Harvey how he had missed the truth for six months when he was staring it in the face everyday.

"I don't suppose you would be able to carry him upstairs?" Jessica asked.

Harvey sighed, "No, I can manage a short distance but all the way upstairs and down the hall is a bit much" he said.

Jessica nodded in understanding and the two of them slowly started to wake Mike, they didn't want to wake him up completely, just enough so that he was able to assist them in walking him up the stairs and to his bed. It took twenty minutes but Mike was eventually tucked into his bed and was once again fast asleep.

Harvey and Jessica watched Mike for a little while before heading off to their own rooms knowing that they would have to deal with Mike in the morning. Harvey stopped by one of the spare rooms to check on Marcus before going to sleep himself secure in the knowledge that the two most important people in his life were safe in their beds.


	24. Chapter 24

**Yes I know this is a short one but they can't all be long.**

Chapter 24

Mike woke up with a headache the next morning. He groaned as he rolled over in his bed, the events of the previous day flooding his memory, "I'm so screwed" he moaned.

"Oh, I think that's an understatement" Harvey said from the doorway.

Mike glared at Harvey as he got out of the bed and stood up.

"I'd find a better attitude or things will get even worse" Harvey warned as he gestured for Mike to follow. Harvey led Mike down to the kitchen where there was food waiting for Mike on the table.

Harvey didn't say a word as Mike ate, Mike kept his head down and ate quickly. As soon as Mike was finished Harvey directed him to the living room where Jessica was already sitting on an armchair, facing the couch. Harvey took the other armchair leaving Mike with no other option than to take the couch.

"I'm sorry about yesterday" Mike said.

"That's good to know but it doesn't change what you did" Jessica said.

Mike nodded and looked down ashamed. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now, what they were gonna do to him but he was sure that he wasn't going to like it.

Jessica sighed, she could see Mike was tense and knew that she needed to get on with the reason they were all sitting here. "Your father and I have talked this over quite a bit, we are not pleased that you decided to go behind out backs, sneak out of the office, meet up with two people whom you knew you weren't supposed to be around, get drunk and get high" Jessica said listing off the list of Mike's transgressions.

Mike paled as the list grew longer and longer, he really hadn't thought about all of that but at the same time he had been hurt and upset and he was sick of the two of them trying to control everything.

"Care to tell us why you did it?" Jessica asked patiently.

Mike looked up at them, they were sitting there with perfect posture and treating him like a child, "I'm not a little kid, I know what I'm doing and I wanted to hang out with my friends" Mike said annoyed.

"Friends" Jessica scoffed, "from where I was standing yesterday I'd have to say that Trevor is anything but a friend. It looked as though he was planning on holding you hostage"

Mike bit his tongue there, that was probably exactly what Trevor had planned to do, "He's never been that bad before" Mike admitted.

"Before?" Harvey asked tightly.

Mike gulped, "Trevor has…. some… anger management issues" Mike said, "but he's never hit me, he's only ever protected me and kept me from getting hurt" he defended his friend.

"Mike, the fact that Trevor protected you in the past doesn't change what happened yesterday or the day that he tried to have you fired." Harvey said.

Mike looked up at him pleadingly, "He's not ten years older than me" he said.

Harvey was confused for a moment, trying to figure out what that statement had to do with anything? It finally hit him, shit. "Mike, Keller and Trevor are both bad influences, they drink, they smoke pot and they encourage you to do it with them" Harvey said.

"You told Tom that we couldn't hang out because he was ten years older than me and that we should find people our own age to hang out with" Mike argued.

"I wasn't about to tell a client that I didn't want my son hanging out with a pot head" Harvey said.

Mike looked away, Harvey had a point, that wouldn't have been good to say. "But I haven't smoked with Tom since that first time"

"I don't care, it's happened, he's too old for you, and you won't be hanging out that is the end of this discussion" Jessica said. "Now I suggest we get back on topic. I warned you before what would happen if you were to smoke pot did I not?"

Mike glared at her.

"Mike" Harvey warned.

"Yes" he gritted out.

"Have you ever been grounded before?" Harvey asked.

Mike laughed, a harsh, hollow laugh, "Harvey, I've been punished in many, many ways but I can honestly say I've never been grounded" he said.

Harvey clenched his jaw trying not to imagine all of the possible ways Mike could have been referring to knowing that none of them were good. "Well it's a basic concept, it's a little different per household but for you it will be, no electronics meaning no TV, no video games, no Gameboy, no working on your projects, no cellphone, and you'll only be allowed to use your work computer and only for your actual work." Harvey paused here to hold out his hand.

Mike glared at the outstretched hand, he knew what Harvey wanted.

"Mike" Harvey said in warning. Mike thrust his phone into Harvey's hand none to happy about giving it up. Harvey pocketed the phone then turned back to Mike, "You won't be allowed out of the condo unless it's to work, the doctor's, or something with either one of us, Marcus, Donna, or your grandparents. This means no going to the pool or on bike rides (they had been letting Mike go out riding his bike when there was time)."

Mike huffed but didn't interrupt.

"How did you get over to Jenny's?" Jessica asked. Harvey had covered the basics for the condo and they had both guessed as to how Mike had gotten over to Jenny's place but they wanted to hear it from Mike before telling the kid his punishment.

Mike looked over to Jessica bored, "The security at the office is abysmal" he said, "It was embarrassingly too simple getting down to the lobby"

"And from the building to Jenny's?" Jessica asked.

"A cab" Mike said in the lovely teenager voice that he knew oh so well by now.

"Wallet" Harvey ordered holding out his hand.

"What?!" Mike exclaimed disbelievingly.

"Wallet" Harvey repeated again still holding out his hand.

"I need my wallet Harvey" Mike argued.

"And you'll get it back in a few minutes" Harvey said.

Mike narrowed his eyes but handed over his wallet. Harvey opened it and took out all money and cards leaving only Mike's ID and his library card before handing the wallet back.

"I need those" Mike said trying to get at the items Harvey confiscated.

"No you don't actually" Jessica said. "Your father and I provide all that you need and there is no reason that you have to keep money on you" she said, "If there is a time we think you'll need them then you will get them back but otherwise they will stay with us"

"That's not fair" Mike said irritated.

"Neither is sneaking out of the office and hailing a cab to go somewhere you knew you weren't supposed to be" Harvey said, holding up his hand to stop Mike's arguments, "Yes, you knew you weren't supposed to be there or else you would have just told one of us"

"There will be rules at the office as well" Jessica said directing the conversation back on topic once again.

Mike glared at her but kept quiet.

"You will no longer be allowed to leave the building without Harvey, Donna, or I with you unless I have informed security otherwise. During your grounding you won't be allowed to leave the floor without our permission and we will be checking your desk regularly, you disobey us on this and you will be working from one of our offices at all times." Jessica said.

"Do you understand everything we've said?" Harvey asked.

Mike glared at both of them, he would say that they have no right but they had custody of him, they had every legal right. "Yes" he ground out.

"Good. Now, I know that your mother said that you would be grounded for a month if you ever smoked however considering that this is your first grounding and a part of the issue comes from your grandmother's recent passing it will only be for two weeks" Harvey said, "But make no mistakes Mike, get high again and you **will** be grounded for a month"

"This sucks" Mike said before getting up and storming to his room, he couldn't believe how shitty this day was already and it was only 9 in the morning.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Mike had thought that he had lost all control after he had been made to move in with Jessica, then again when Jessica and Harvey had gotten custody of him. Now though, now he realized how much freedom he'd actually had. Being grounded sucked. He had been grounded for two weeks starting last Tuesday, it was now a week and a half in and he was going mad. Being grounded really, really sucked.

Mike had been assigned to work with Louis on a case as soon as they got to work the day after his grounding started, part of it was because Harvey and Jessica didn't want him to know what was going on and part of it was because they didn't trust him to do as told without constant supervision. Working with Louis hadn't been that bad, the man was a bit strange and definitely mixed his metaphors and he got irritated whenever Mike chewed on one of the highlighters but otherwise they were actually on good terms now. He still didn't know what Harvey and Jessica were up to but Donna hadn't been at her desk much for a while and then when she did come back she was cagey and nervous. Mike had been trying to get the three of them to come clean but they were keeping him out of it because they 'didn't want to worry him' (their words not his). It wasn't working.

Marcus had gone home the same day Mike had been grounded but he had come back last night, Wednesday November 25th. Today was Thursday November 26th, the fourth Thursday in November, it was Thanksgiving. Most of the firm had the day off today; only the first year associates were working (aside from Mike) as well as first and second year paralegals. There was the occasional partner who was in but that was their decision. Mike didn't have to go to work this morning so he hadn't set his alarm and Harvey and Jessica said that they were letting him sleep in.

Marcus didn't share the same feelings as his older brother though and he felt that his new nephew should be up. He 'snuck' really just tiptoed, into Mike's room and put his hand on the kid's shoulder with every intention of shaking him awake, it didn't quite work out like that though.

Mike jerked back and struck out at whatever it was that was intent on hurting him. He opened his eyes when he heard someone scream out half in pain and half in shock.

Harvey and Jessica barreled into Mike's room seconds after Marcus yelled out, "What's wrong?" Jessica asked coming through the door.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't know. I thought…" Mike started rambling.

Harvey took in the scene before him, he knew Mike had been having nightmares last night; he'd come in twice during the night to calm him. Mike was still sitting on his bed, with the sheets wrapped around his legs, and Marcus was standing back a bit shaking his arm and trying to tell Mike that it was alright and that he was sorry for startling him. It didn't take long before the pieces fell into place. Harvey moved over to Mike and sat down next to him, Jessica taking up the other side. Marcus came over and sat on the bed on Harvey's side lower down.

"It's alright Mike, you didn't to anything" Jessica said trying to console the boy.

Mike ignored her and kept staring at Marcus, apologizing.

Marcus eventually grew tired of trying to get Mike to stop apologizing and just covered the kid's mouth with his hand; that shut Mike up. "OK, now that I have your attention I'm going to say this once. YOU'VE DONE NOTHING WRONG AND HAVE NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR" Marcus said forcefully.

Mike stared at Marcus for a few minutes before slowly nodding his assent, Marcus removed his hand then. "Good, now, its Thanksgiving and we have lot's to do so get dressed" Marcus ordered.

"I was told I could sleep in" Mike groaned as he fell back on his bed.

"Well, your parents got that one wrong, there's lots to do and little time to do it in" Marcus said.

"Go 'way" Mike said pulling his pillow over his face.

Marcus gave Mike's pillow covered face a wry grin, "Well then, I'll just have to give you a bit of encouragement" he said.

Marcus reached over and started attacking any part of Mike's body he could find and it wasn't long before he had Mike writhing on the bed laughing his head off. Mike was trying in vein to get Marcus to stop but he wasn't having any success. Mike was laughing so hard he was starting to have difficulty breathing, in a last ditch effort he called out for a little assistance, "D..Dad… help, Mo..Mom make him st…stop" Mike called out.

Harvey, Jessica and Marcus all froze taking in what Mike had just said. Mike flushed, he hadn't meant to, "I…I…I" he stuttered trying to fill in the silence.

Harvey and Jessica couldn't believe it, Mike had finally called them Mom and Dad, they'd been working at it for weeks, they were ecstatic that it was finally happening. "Finally!" Harvey said happily.

"Huh?" Mike asked.

"I've been waiting to hear that" Jessica said smiling.

Mike was confused but every time they spoke it just got worse so he didn't ask just got out of bed, grabbed some clothes and went to his bathroom to get dressed since there were three other people in his room. Once Mike was dressed he grabbed his sketchpad and pencils and headed down to the living room. He sat down and started flipping through his sketch book looking for a blank page, he had taken to reading and drawing lately seeing as it was the only things left to him for entertainment.

Before Mike could start drawing Marcus came into the room, "You ready?" he asked cheerfully.

Mike looked up at him quizzically, "Ready for what?" he asked.

"Ready to make supper?" Marcus said as though it were obvious.

"It's only eight in the morning" Mike responded.

"Yes but there's a lot to cook and it takes all day, we feast at the end" Marcus said pulling Mike up by his arm and dragging him into the kitchen.

Mike stumbled into the kitchen after Marcus to find Harvey and Jessica talking, they stopped when Mike entered.

Marcus clapped his hands together and turned to Jessica, "I'm sorry but you'll have to leave, only Specter men are allowed in the kitchen today" he said.

Jessica raised her eyebrow but nodded her assent and left, it would be good for Mike to have some time alone with just the men and to be incorporated as one of the 'Specter Men' would do him some good.

Mike turned to Marcus, "You can't throw me out" he said, after all one of his last names was Specter so he had to be safe.

"Of course not, you're one of us" Marcus said ruffling Mike's hair and pulling his sketchpad and pencil case out of his hands and placing them on the counter replacing them with several recipe cards. "Now, take these and help your dad and I get out the ingredients"

Mike looked over each recipe card carefully, it looked as though they were having: stuffed turkey, green bean casserole, candied yams, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and devilled eggs. As soon as he saw them he had them memorized, "What no rolls?" he asked sarcastically.

"Rolls are in the freezer" Harvey answered.

"The freezer?" Mike asked confused.

"Yeah" Harvey said pulling out a bag or frozen rolls.

"Why not make them like everything else?" Mike asked.

"Because we don't know how to make rolls from scratch" Marcus answered chuckling a bit.

"It's not hard" Mike said.

Harvey turned to Mike, "Alright, you're in charge of making the rolls" he said. Harvey had to admit he was a bit surprised that Mike was aware of how to make rolls but it seemed as though he did.

"Jus whatever you do, don't let your dad have anything to do with them" Marcus said smirking.

"It was one time" Harvey argued.

"That's because you were banned from ever attempting it again" Marcus said.

"What was one time?" Mike asked curious.

"The last time I tried to make rolls may not have gone so well" Harvey admitted.

Marcus scoffed, "By 'may not have gone so well' he means that he set the oven on fire and it took the entire fire extinguisher to put it out" he said.

Mike laughed, "Wow, how did you pull that off?" he asked.

"I may not have used the correct ingredients" Harvey admitted.

"He put baking soda in it then topped it with a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice and water. It took all of thirty seconds for the vinegar to soak down to the baking soda and then, well lets just say you shouldn't mix those things in a 450 degree oven" Marcus said laughing.

"It was one time" Harvey argued.

Mike was laughing, "Those shouldn't have even been in a roll recipe" he eventually got out around his laughing.

Jessica peeked her head though the door curious, "What's so funny?" she asked.

Marcus rushed over and, gently, pushed her out of the kitchen again calling, "Secret recipes and rituals" through the door, shooting a wink to Mike showing he was now part of their little joke.

The three of them got to work after that, pulling out the ingredients, fixing the food, talking, sharing stories and laughing. Mike had never done something like this before, it was almost surreal to be surrounded by mounds of food and fixing a massive feast for and with family. This had to be the best thanksgiving he'd ever had and they hadn't even sat down to eat yet.

Mike decided that Marcus was the funny one about five minutes in, the man was always finding ways to get them all laughing whether it be telling jokes, past stories, juggling (and subsequently breaking) four eggs – this one earned his a lecture from Harvey as he was made to clean up his own mess – or just adding comments into the conversations. Marcus was great, Mike had never had an uncle before but if he'd ever been able to he couldn't help but think that Marcus would be the one he would pick.

Harvey was having a great day, sure it had started out a bit rocky but Mike had actually called him Dad this morning and he had spent the last four hours in the kitchen with his brother and his son and none of them had stopped smiling the entire time. He could tell that Marcus was reveling in his role as an uncle, he had been elated when Harvey had mentioned adoption, Marcus and Donna had been talking about Mike being a mini Harvey for a while and that was before they knew Mike's real age. What had really improved Harvey's mood was Mike. The boy was so relaxed and open with them, it was wonderful to see him let go, lower his walls and just be a kid for once. It had been amusing to watch Marcus' shock and awe when he realized that Mike really didn't need the recipe cards. Mike had handed them back to Marcus not even five minutes after receiving them and then went about gathering the ingredients. Marcus had thought nothing of it at first but when Mike started measuring things out and putting thins together as well as giving instructions to Harvey who preferred being given oral instructions over reading them from a cook book Marcus started to get a little confused. At first Marcus had thought it was a prank and it had taken Mike repeating three recipes before Marcus finally gave in, Harvey and Mike kept laughing through the entire thing and might have led Marcus on for a little while before finally coming clean.

Harvey had been spending a lot of time focusing on Mike, just wanting to take in this day. He couldn't help but notice that Mike was active, very, very active. Mike seemed to be incapable of sitting still, he was always moving and when he had something to do that was fine but now they were waiting for the food to cook, they had prepared and cleaned and they were sitting around now. Marcus was sitting on a stool, Harvey was leaning against the counter by the sink and Mike was sitting on the island across from Harvey. Mike was swinging his leg and tapping his knee and he couldn't keep his focus on one thing but Harvey was certain that the boy knew what they were saying and could repeat it back to them perfectly if asked.

The more Harvey watched Mike the more he could tell that the kid was quickly becoming bored, looking around for anything that might amuse the boy he spotted the abandoned sketch pad and pencils. Harvey wordlessly picked them up and handed them over to Mike who looked surprised before giving him a grateful smile and started drawing while continuing to be apart of the conversation.

Jessica's parents arrived at four that evening and everyone started setting the table. Mike put his sketchpad to the side and started to put the colored pencils away. Rebecca walked into the kitchen to get the cranberries and saw the picture that Mike had drawn. "Oh, this is amazing" she said abandoning the cranberries and picking up the sketchpad.

"Huh?" Mike asked zipping up the pencil container and turning to see what Rebecca was looking at. "Oh, that" Mike said when he saw the pad in Rebecca's hands. "It's nothing" he said reaching for it.

"This is wonderful" Rebecca said staring down at the picture, "How did you learn to do this?" she asked.

"Hey, you coming?" Marcus asked from the doorway, "Wow" he said once he saw the drawing. Marcus silently asked for the picture and Rebecca handed it over, "This is incredible" Marcus said in awe.

Mike just shrugged embarrassed, "It's nothing" he said reaching for the pad again.

Marcus didn't let Mike have the pad though; he turned around and brought the picture into the dining room to show Robert, Jessica and Harvey (Donna was spending the holiday at her sisters). Everyone in the room was suitably impressed.

"I didn't know he was such a good artist" Robert said as Mike and Rebecca came into the dining room and took their places at the table.

"I've seen a few of his pictures but they were always black and white. This, this is…" Jessica said but she was too awed to come up with an appropriate description. The picture was of Harvey and Marcus in the kitchen, Marcus sitting on the bar stool spinning it and Harvey leaning against the counter, both were laughing. It was seen through Mike's eyes so his face wasn't in the picture but his legs were dangling off the counter at the bottom of the page. It was simple, a moment in the kitchen, but it looked as though it were real, as though the people in the picture would start moving at any second. It was astonishing.

"It's no big deal" Mike said trying to get everyone's attention away from his drawing.

"Mike, this is incredible" Harvey said astounded.

"Would you object to putting it in a frame?" Jessica asked.

"It's just a drawing" Mike said confused.

"It's art and I wish to hang it up" Jessica said.

Mike was confused but agreed not seeing the point, "If you want" he said.

"Thank you" Jessica said placing the sketchpad aside on her desk and then returning to the table to enjoy thanksgiving with her family. Looking around the table as they ate she couldn't help but feel amazed at how her family had grown since last year. This was the perfect thanksgiving, nothing could be better.


	26. Chapter 26

**OK, someone had suggested that Mike get in a fight with one of the associates, I liked the idea but I changed it a little, hope this works. I know that Sheila Sazs was supposed to be during the nurses strike case but I thought that she fit in better here and I forgot to add her in earlier. Other than her coming the story line is in the same order just spread out a bit more. Someone made the suggestion of Mike finding a girl his own age and while I like the idea and know it would happen during Mike's life it won't be occurring in this story mainly because I want Mike to be settled with his family, doing better about his past and also have friends his own age first.**

**Sorry this took so long to post. I got a new job and it's completely hectic so the posts will be sporadic and distanced. here is the next chapter.**

Chapter 26

Thanksgiving had been perfect to Mike, he couldn't remember a better day even though he had been grounded. Marcus had gone home the next day saying that he'd be back for Christmas. Work resumed the next day as well, Harvey got a new case, emancipating a tennis playing minor so that he could go pro. At first Mike was allowed to work on the case but once Marco said that his father was abusive Harvey sent Mike to Callister (a senior partner) to assist the man with a case.

Mike had been mad and had originally tried to convince Harvey to let him work the case but Harvey stayed resolute and sent Mike back to Callister every time Mike came to his office. Mike was sent to Jessica's office each afternoon for his lunch and nap instead Harvey's so that he couldn't try to sneak a peek at the case.

Eventually Mike had relented and given his full attention to the case he had with Callister, it lasted eight days, they worked long hours but Mike had enough breaks to appease Harvey and Jessica. Mike had to admit that he really liked working with Callister, the man was entertaining. Callister always had something for Mike to do, he kept Mike's mind busy whether it be with work, a riddle, a magazine on engineering or art, a busted laptop to fix (he got that on Tuesday, apparently even Callister was upholding the grounding), or just a stimulating conversation. Mike was never bored during that week and it was nice to talk with someone about different ideas on any and every topic and not have to stop and explain what he was saying every five minutes. Mike was somewhat sad when the case was complete and he went back to his usual job but at the same time he'd missed working with Harvey.

Today though was Saturday December 5th, Mike was going to be spending the morning with his grandparents, he was lying in bed staring at the ceiling and debating if this was really a good idea. Mike had agreed to this on Tuesday but that was before Donna had been fired.

Mike had run into Donna at the shredder early in the week and she had been so nervous that he felt the need to watch her. He had stopped her at the shredder the next day with the same document. Mike didn't know everything that was going on but he was aware of the basics, mostly due to snooping, and knew that Tanner was after Harvey and that Donna was supposed to be searching for something in the file room. Mike took a guess that what Donna was trying to shred was the same thing she'd been looking for, he was right. Mike had told Donna to tell Harvey about it but she hadn't and by the time Mike had come clean Donna had already destroyed the document, Jessica fired her after that. Donna called Mike everyday, just to check in on him, and Mike loved that she did but he felt bad that she had been fired; he blamed himself despite everyone's protests that it wasn't his fault.

The alarm went off making Mike groan, roll out of bed and stumble to his bathroom. It took thirty minutes before Mike was wondering into the kitchen.

"Morning" Harvey greeted as Mike came into the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets. Mike's eating habits had improved greatly, he hadn't fought eating in over a week and he had been going through his snack at a decent pace as well. Mike was still underweight but Dr. Richardson was happy with the progress that he'd made though it would still take a while for Mike to get back up to a healthy weight given that his metabolism was ridiculously high.

"Morning" Mike said while looking for something to eat for breakfast. He was finding that he felt better when he ate regularly and he'd also created a decent sized stock of food hidden in his room just in case so he felt a bit safer getting comfortable eating more without having to worry about being hungry.

"Oh good you're up. Your grandparents will be here in twenty minutes" Jessica said walking into the kitchen.

Mike grabbed the Captain Crunch box and some milk and had a quick breakfast of cereal. He had just put his bowl and spoon in the dishwasher (he had learned that dishwashers were awesome, so much better than washing everything by hand) when there was a knock at the door. Mike had to admit he was a bit hesitant; he had never met his grandfather so he felt more comfortable calling Robert Grandpa but Rebecca, well. Mike missed his Grammy and he couldn't help but have a small part of him feel as though he was betraying Grammy in some way. Mike knew it was silly considering that Grammy had told him many times how excited she was that he now had two sets of grandparents but still he'd only ever had one Grammy and didn't know how to act around Rebecca. One thing Mike did know was that he would always call her Grandma or Grandmother but **never** Grammy, there was only one person he would ever call that and she was gone. Taking a deep breath Mike went out to the door, ready to head out.

"Hello" Rebecca greeted.

"Hey" Mike said politely.

They all stood around nervously for a couple of minutes until Robert decided to break the silence, "Well, why don't we get going" he said.

"Yeah, sounds good" Mike agreed.

"Alright, well have fun" Jessica said hugging Mike quickly before shooing the three of them out the door.

The car ride was quiet, Rebecca and Robert asked the occasional question and Mike gave short, quiet, and shy answers. When they got out Mike looked around, they were in a nicer part of the city, more touristy, Mike was a little confused as to where they were, he'd never been here. Mike was stunned when they started heading towards a museum.

"I've always wanted to go here" he said quietly.

Robert and Rebecca smiled, "We thought you'd like it" Robert said.

"It's one of the best art museums in New York" Rebecca said looping her arm through Mike's and leading him up the stairs into the Metropolitan Museum or Art.

They spent hours walking through the museum, it was amazing. Mike became more and more animated as they went on, saying everything he knew about the different paintings and sculptures and giving his own opinions while listening to Robert and Rebecca's as well. Mike was somewhat sad when they'd finished walking through and left the building heading back to the car, he would have spent all day in there if he could have.

They went to a nice restaurant for lunch, once they had their menus and drinks Rebecca turned to Mike, "So, what did you think?" she asked.

"It was incredible" Mike said smiling, "Oh, I could have spent all day in just one wing"

Robert chuckled, "Thought it might be something you'd enjoy" he said.

Mike scrunched up his eyebrows confused, "How though?" he asked.

"The picture you drew on Thanksgiving was amazing, no one would spend that amount of time and care on a picture if they didn't care about art" Rebecca answered.

"Oh" Mike said. He hadn't thought they'd been paying that much attention, rather being nice, he wasn't used to being wrong about that kind of thing.

After the waiter came and took their orders Rebecca turned to Mike, "So, how is everything?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"Why not start with what you thought about being grounded?" Robert asked smirking.

Mike frowned, "It sucked. It was torture, I know Mom and Dad say that what the foster families did was torture but clearly they've never been grounded if they think that" Mike ranted.

Robert chuckled, "Oh, I'd say that your mother is well aware of what being grounded is like" he said.

Mike perked up at that, "Really?" he asked.

"Oh yes, she was grounded a few times in her childhood" Rebecca said.

"Like when?" Mike asked.

They spent the rest of lunch with Mike quizzing them on Jessica's past and theirs. Mike loved hearing the stories, he liked to get to know more about his new family and he liked to hear what other's childhoods were like. All too soon though lunch was over and Robert and Rebecca were driving Mike down to the office. Mike was exhausted and ended up falling asleep in the back seat as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot and slept the entire drive to the office.

"Thank you" Mike said when they pulled up to the building.

"We had fun. We should do this again soon" Rebecca said.

"Definitely" Mike agreed smiling.

Rebecca and Robert both hugged Mike goodbye before leaving him at the elevators to head up to the office. Mike went right from the elevator to Jessica's office, "OK the Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing" he said as soon as he walked into the room, without knocking.

Harvey, Jessica and a woman Mike didn't know (Zoe) paused in their conversation to look over at Mike. "Haven't we discussed the importance of knocking?" Harvey admonished.

"Sorry" Mike apologized, "I was just excited. I'll go" he said turning around and reaching for the door handle.

Jessica walked over and put a hand on Mike's shoulder, "We're glad you had a good time and would love to hear about it later but right now we're in the middle of a meeting" she said kindly.

Mike nodded his understanding and headed to his cubicle, he got to his desk and started in on the piles of briefs. Harold had been asking him about something that he was working on when Louis came into the room with a blond haired woman in tow. Louis introduced her as Mrs. Sheila Sazs, he walked her down the bullpen giving out completely fake complements and then got Harold's family medical issues entirely wrong before Mrs. Sazs called him on it.

Louis and Sheila stopped in front of Mike's cubicle, "What do you need from me?" Louis asked.

"For starters I want you to explain why you let a child amuse himself by interrupting the associates work" Sheila said gesturing to Mike.

Louis looked confused for a moment until he took a good look at Mike. Mike was dressed in jeans and an A-Team t-shirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath and with a jacket hanging off the back of his chair. "What… Oh you mean Mike. No he's an associate" Louis said.

Sheila looked at Mike herself, "An associate's son?" Sheila asked.

"No, I work here, as an associate" Mike answered curtly. He could forgive the initial confusion but he was really getting tired of people judging him because of his age. It wasn't his fault how old he was, he knew he was eighteen but had proven that he was fully capable of doing the work.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" Sheila asked Louis.

"No, Mike really works here" Louis said. There was an assent from a few of the other associates.

It took a few moments before Sheila realized that they weren't kidding. "I thought you only hired from Harvard" she said.

"We do" Louis responded.

"Well clearly you don't because his file" she said pointing to Mike, "never crossed my desk and I handle all applicant interviews and the recruiting and I have never seen his face"

"I tested out" Mike explained shortly.

Sheila turned to him, "You?" she asked, "You're the one who tested out?"

"Yes" Mike answered becoming rather annoyed.

"You don't look older than fourteen" Sheila said.

There were some snickers from the associates around them, "I'm eighteen" Mike gritted out trying really hard not to snap at this woman.

The associates closest to them had backed away by this point, they could tell that Mike was pissed even if Mrs. Sazs couldn't. Gregory and his little band on the other hand were staying close, enjoying the scene.

Sheila was rather shocked at Mike's age but seeing as no one was disputing it she accepted the answer, "Very well then" she said. She turned to Harold, who was still standing next to Mike, "I'll start my interviews with this one" she said gesturing for Harold to follow her out. Louis left with them.

As soon as Louis was out of earshot and the bullpen had finally gotten back to work Gregory came over, "So you've been hiding your age again huh Ross?" Gregory asked snidely. While Mike had changed his name when he was adopted no one at the firm actually knew (Mike was the one who insisted because he didn't want preferential treatment just because he was now the son of the managing partner). Since Mike had kept his old last name as his new middle name Mike Ross was still, technically, his name and thus what he went by.

"What?" Mike asked. He was still worked up from his conversation with Sheila and this was the last thing he needed.

"Well, I mean it makes since, you've done it once already" Gregory teased.

"What are you on about?" Mike asked.

"Your age Mikey. Now tell me is it really fourteen or is that just another lie? How young are you?" Gregory taunted.

"Go away" Mike said as he turned back to his work, doing his best to ignore Gregory.

Gregory didn't like to be ignored so he continued to taunt Mike and really picked it up when he started to insinuate that Mike was a baby, the baby of the firm. When the taunting wasn't receiving the reaction that he wanted Gregory started to poke and prod Mike. Mike however was doing a wonderful job keeping his temper in check, it wasn't until Gregory tipped Mike out of his chair that Mike reacted.

Mike knocked Gregory down and soon the two of them were at each other. Gregory was aiming to do damage and ended up landing a couple of kicks and hits to Mike's chest and back as well as his face. Mike was trying to block the blows and little else, he knew what being beaten felt like and he didn't wish it on anyone, he just couldn't bring himself to actually hit Gregory with the intent to cause pain however he did knock him down a few times and pushed him into the wall.

The fight had gone on for three minutes when an extremely pissed off and protective Harvey pulled Gregory off of Mike and flung him into the wall. "Pack your things and get out" he growled.

"He started it" Gregory said blaming Mike.

"No he didn't" another associate, Margaret, said, "Mike didn't do anything until you knocked him out of his chair and even then he didn't hit you"

"GET. OUT. **NOW!**" Harvey yelled. He was trying really, really hard to keep from hitting the person in front of him, it was difficult to charge him with assault if he looked as beat up as Mike. That and Harvey didn't want to be charged with assault himself, not when he needed to take care of his son.

Gregory ran then, he didn't even bother to clear his desk. Harvey had scared the crap out of him, literally, the man could be absolutely terrifying when he wanted to be.

Harvey took a few deep breaths to calm himself before turning to Mike. The boy was standing with Jessica on one side and Zoe on the other. Zoe was holding Mike still while Jessica searched the boy over for injuries. Harvey sighed as he took in the black eye, bruised jaw and busted lip and that was just the kid's face. "Come on" he said taking Mike out of the bullpen and to his office for what little privacy it offered.

Harvey and Jessica spent the next forty minutes coaxing the story out of Mike. The two of them had to admit that Mike had done an amazing job at keeping calm but they really wished that he'd come to them. "Mike, whenever someone is goading you, you need to come to one of us" Harvey said kindly.

"I can handle myself" Mike said.

"You don't have to" Jessica responded.

"The problem is my age and how I'm treated, running to the two of you because people are teasing me is only going to make things worse" Mike said.

"There's a difference between teasing and harassing Mike" Jessica said, "and you know what it is"

Mike sighed, he wasn't going to get them to understand and he knew it so he just stayed quiet, they'd move on when they realized that he wasn't going to argue.

"Alright, let's get going" Harvey said after a few minutes of silence.

"Go where?" Mike asked.

"To see Dr. Richardson" Jessica answered.

"I didn't think I had anymore shots" Mike said confused. He had been happy when Dr. Richardson had said that he was caught up with his vaccinations, his dislike of needles hadn't gone away.

"This isn't for shots it's to make sure that, that bastard didn't do any serious damage" Harvey explained as he, Mike and Jessica all walked out to Ray's car. Zoe went back to Jessica's assistant to tell them to clear both Jessica's and Harvey's schedule for the rest of the day.

"Gregory didn't do anything major just a couple of soar ribs, some cuts and some bruises, no big deal" Mike said shrugging and trying to turn around and head back into the building.

"All three of those things are a big deal on their own, the three combined is a huge deal." Harvey said as he redirected Mike into the back seat of the car.

"I don't need to go to the doctors" Mike protested as he was placed between his parents in the backseat.

"Yes you do" Jessica responded.

"Well I don't agree to go" Mike argued.

"We don't need you to agree in order for you to be seen" Harvey said.

Mike huffed, he'd forgotten about that for a second, it sucked to be in the custody of someone else, "I've had worse than this many times before and have successfully made it through without seeking medical assistance I can say for certain that I don't need any now" Mike said trying to be reasonable about it.

Harvey and Jessica had to stop themselves from grabbing Mike and wrapping the kid up in bubble wrap so that nothing bad ever happened to him again. After a moment Harvey collected himself enough to respond. "You're going" he said with finality.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Mike argued the entire way to the doctor's office, he didn't see the point in going when he already knew what was wrong with him, all Dr. Richardson was going to do was prescribe some pain meds which Mike will never take. Mike hates meds, especially pain meds, because they made it difficult to focus and get his work done. He'd only ever taken pain meds once in his life, he'd sprained his wrist pretty badly once when he was fifteen (his grandmother had insisted that they take what little money they had saved for Christmas in order to pay for him to get the prescription filled at the clinic) and he refused to do so again.

Harvey literally had to drag Mike into the examination room, he was just glad that there weren't many people around because it was slightly embarrassing having to drag/carry your eighteen year old son to go see the doctor like a toddler. Harvey couldn't be too mad at Mike though, for one he knew that Mike had always been reluctant of doctor's given his past and another thing, Mike just looked too much like a kicked puppy sitting up on the examination table with his head down and big, blue, pleading eyes peeking up through lashes at Harvey and Jessica.

"So, what seems to be the probl…" Dr. Richardson said but he trailed off when he got a look at Mike's face. "How did you get these?" he asked as he gently prodded around the injuries on Mike's face.

"Tripped" Mike answered shrugging as though it was nothing.

Harvey had to admit, the kid was an amazing liar, "A former associate decided Mike would make a good punching bag" Harvey growled out.

Dr. Richardson turned to Harvey shocked, "We need you to document the injuries for the assault charge" Jessica said.

Dr. Richardson nodded and turned to Mike, "would you please take your shirt off for me" he instructed.

Mike glared at all three of the 'adults' in the room, crossed his arms over his chest and refused to move.

"Mike" Harvey said warningly.

"I'm not doing this" Mike grit out, "I don't want to be here and I don't want to press charges"

Harvey sighed and then he and Jessica started, forcibly, getting Mike out of his shirt. Both were thoroughly grateful that Mike was only wearing a couple of shirts rather than his suit, it made things so much easier. Mike fought them the whole way but he soon lost and was sitting on the examination table shirtless and all of them could see the numerous bruises that littered Mike's body. There were at least fifteen bruises across Mike's arms and torso, and his entire left side was one large bruise.

Mike fought them every step of the way through the examination but no matter how many times he objected to it there was nothing he could do to stop it, being in the custody of Harvey and Jessica could really, really suck at times. Mike also realized that he had no say as to whether charges were brought against Gregory.

Eventually Dr. Richardson was done, "You can put your shirt on now" he said gently to Mike. Mike yanked his shirt away from Jessica and shoved it on as fast as he could. Dr. Richardson then turned to Harvey and Jessica, "He has three bruised ribs on his left side and numerous bruises, he also has a split lip, a black eye and a rather nasty bruise on his chin. He'll be soar for about a week or so, I'm going to prescribe a pain medication…"

"No" Mike stated.

"He'll need to take it as prescribed for the next five days" Dr. Richardson finished ignoring Mike's interruption. Dr. Richardson had learned over the course of the past couple of months that Mike would argue anything and everything so he'd stopped listening to the arguments and instead discussed all medical issues with Harvey and Jessica and let them deal with their son's protests, it's what he'd done when he was a pediatrician and it still worked wonders.

"I'm not taking any medication" Mike said a little louder this time.

"If Dr. Richardson says you're to take it then you'll take it" Jessica stated.

"No I won't" Mike argued.

"This isn't a debate Mike" Harvey said.

"I can give you a prescription for a liquid form if that would be easier" Dr. Richardson offered. He would honestly feel better giving it in a liquid because it would offer the same pain relief but it was a slightly lesser dose and given Mike's weight it would be better for him. "I would recommend that you mix it with a drink, at least four ounces but more is preferred, no more than twelve"

"That would be perfect" Jessica agreed, she was dreading the idea of trying to force a swallow whole pill down Mike's throat, there were too many choking hazards with that idea.

"I won't take it" Mike said firmly tired of having the three of them discuss something he was completely against.

Harvey turned to Mike and leveled him with a glare, "You're taking it and that's final" he ordered.

Mike jutted his chin out and stared Harvey straight in the eye letting the man see exactly how he felt without saying a word. Harvey shook his head in annoyance but let the issue drop for now and started leading Mike back to the car behind Jessica.

The three of them headed home and Harvey sent Ray out to fill Mike's prescription. As soon as the front door was shut Mike turned to Harvey and Jessica, "I'm not taking pain meds" he stated.

Jessica sighed and Harvey rolled his eyes, "This isn't up for debate, you have multiple bruised ribs which have to be painful and you need the meds" Jessica responded as she guided Mike over to the couch and sat him down. "What movie would you like to watch?" she asked quickly trying to get off the subject of the meds.

Mike slouched down into the couch not in the mood to be ignored, which is basically what they were doing. "Don't care" he mumbled annoyed.

Jessica just nodded and put in the first movie that she saw, "Just relax and watch the movie ok" she said ruffling his hair and heading into the kitchen.

"Just relax pup" Harvey said giving Mike's shoulder a slight squeeze before following Jessica. He propped the door to the kitchen open so that he could keep an eye on Mike while he and Jessica talked.

Ray brought the medicine around about thirty minutes later and Jessica put a dose into a cup along with some grape crush soda and put it on a tray with Mike's supper. They were going to all eat in the living room so that Mike wouldn't have to sit in a hard chair. "Here honey" Jessica said putting the tray of food in Mike's lap.

Mike came out of his musings and looked down at the food, he just started eating without giving it much thought. His mind had been bouncing between focusing on the movie and focusing on the pain in his upper chest and he wasn't giving much thought to what he was putting in his mouth. Eating had become almost natural to him, which was an amazing feeling, he had even gained a good seven pounds, which while not as much as Dr. Richards would have liked was apparently rather good seeing as how Mike had a freakishly high metabolism. He was basically allowed to eat anything he wanted seeing as how his daily calorie intake requirement was nearly twelve times the normal amount for a person his age.

Jessica and Harvey were pleased that Mike didn't make a fuss over his drink however it also worried them seeing as how it meant that either the pain was so bad that Mike was actually willingly taking the pain meds or that the pain was so bad that it was taking over enough of Mike's attention that Mike didn't notice. Either one was bad but it did make them feel better that Mike was at least getting his pain meds.

Mike started to drop off not long after the movie was over, a combination of the pain meds, being injured, having a short nap and having a full stomach was doing him in. "Alright, it's bedtime for puppies I think" Harvey said standing up and hauling Mike up along with him.

"It's only 9" Mike whined.

Harvey chuckled a bit, Mike really showed his true age when he was tired.

"Tell you what, you get ready for bed and I'll read to you until you fall asleep" Jessica said coming over to help Harvey guide Mike up to bed. They had learned that Mike responded really well to being read allowed, he loved it and it was an excellent reward or bribe or comfort for Mike whenever needed.

Mike gave Jessica a smile, "Deal" he said before taking over more of his own weight and hurrying up the stairs. Not ten minutes later Mike was sitting up in bed eagerly awaiting his mother and a book.

Harvey and Jessica each took a seat on either side of Mike, Harvey guided Mike down to a laying position and Jessica opened the book and cleared her throat. Mike fell asleep shortly after with a smile on his face. Harvey and Jessica sat there a while longer just watching their son sleep, it was hard on both of them to realize that their son had been beaten by one of the other associates while under their watch and they silently vowed that they would never allow it to happen again.


	28. Chapter 28

**I would like to say thank-you to Giggles96 for beta reading for me.**

Chapter 28

Mike had a restless night; he woke up at least four times from various nightmares.

One of which featured being chased down by a cop with a billy club for 'acting up', followed by a particularly joyful rehashing of the day a store owner came at him with a golf club for trying to pinch an apple from his fruit stand without paying. Not to mention the subsequent recreation of the time he'd been hounded by a group of older boys who then cornered him in an alley, before beating the crap out of him for the sole reason that his team had defeated theirs at that day's game in Backden Park.

The last nightmare was powered by thoughts of the period he had lived with the Baxter's and had asked for something to eat.

Having not eaten in five and a half days, Mike was starved and it was beginning to take a toll on the ill-equipped child (back then his body had actually tried to tell him when it was absolutely vital that he eat. Not long after this incident, however, it stopped). His punishment was getting beaten and then thrown outside until he returned from school the next day – right in the middle of December.

Although his nightmares were horrible, Mike took comfort in the fact that every time he was woken up by either Harvey or Jessica, and they were both there to comfort him and make him feel better.

By six thirty the next morning, everyone have given up trying to sleep and were in the kitchen eating breakfast.

Once they were all done eating, Harvey and Jessica had taken notice that Mike had left his entire glass of orange juice sitting on the table, refusing to touch it.

"Mike, you need to drink the juice," Harvey instructed kindly. He knew why Mike was refusing to drink.

"No," Mike said simply. He wasn't going to take the medicine. Last night, he may have been a bit out of it, but he was fully aware right now and there was no way that he was taking it.

"Mike, this isn't a debate. You need to take the medication," Jessica said.

"I'm not taking it," Mike stated.

"Why not?" Jessica asked. Mike rarely refused things without a reason. Whether or not that reason made sense wasn't really the point, so much as that they were valid to Mike.

Mike turned to look at Jessica. "Because they make my brain feel fuzzy," he answered honestly.

"Pain meds can be a bit potent," Jessica said, trying to get Mike to drink the juice without having to force him. "But that's why you were given it in liquid form. It's been diluted by a drink, so that it's not as strong for you."

"It's not safe," Mike said, shaking his head. He couldn't afford to be off kilter. In order to take care of himself, he had to be aware of his surroundings.

"Nothing's going to happen to you," Harvey said firmly, getting Mike's attention. "I won't let it."

Mike stared at Harvey for a long time.

He wanted to believe him - he really did - but he just couldn't. Not when he'd just been beaten.

"I'm not taking it. I'm sorry," Mike said.

Sighing, Harvey scooted closer to Mike.

He hated what he was about to do, but the boy really did need to take the medication. Dr. Richards had said that if Mike didn't take it, he would be in a good deal of pain due to his ribs and could therefore risk putting too much strain on his body, which would then cause even more harm.

If it wasn't for Mike's own good, Harvey would never be forcing the issue.

"Bud, you have to take this. Either you drink the juice or we put out the dose in a medicine cup and pour it down your throat ourselves, and I really don't want to have to do that," Harvey said apologetically.

Mike stared at him, debating.

He had no doubt that Harvey would follow through with what he'd said, which meant that the medicine wouldn't be diluted.

"How much is in a dose?" he asked.

"Forty milliliters," Jessica answered, holding up a cup for Mike to see what exactly that amounted to.

Mike studied the cup - it really wasn't all that much medicine considering that it was mixed in with ten ounces of juice.

Sighing as he realized that he wasn't about to win this argument, (once again getting irritated with the fact that he was in someone else's custody) he picked up the cup and downed it as fast as he could so as to get it over with.

Harvey and Jessica exchanged looks of sheer relief. Neither one had wanted to force the medicine into Mike.

"Good boy," Harvey praised, before patting Mike's back and standing, taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

"Now, you will be off work for the next three days and then you'll be allowed back. We just need to give your ribs some time to heal," Jessica explained.

"I don't need to be off work," Mike argued.

Trying to placate him, Jessica soothed, "We just want to make sure that you're alright."

"I'm fine! It was nothing. I've had so much worse," Mike said, trying to convince them to give up. His plan backfired, however, as all he did was make them even more concerned.

"It's for our own sanity, Mike," Harvey said. He knew that Mike would never concede if it was for his own benefit, but if it was to help someone else then the arguments would typically go away. Not that Mike would be happy about it, but at least he'd stop fighting. Thankfully, his plan worked.

"Sitting in your offices is boring," Mike whined, trying for a change of tactic. If he wasn't allowed to work then hopefully he'd at least be allowed to stay at home.

Jessica smirked. "You won't be staying in our offices," she said slowly. "You'll be staying here."

Seeing Mike sit up out of his slouch/pout, Jessica decided to clear something up. "Your grandparents will be here with you" she clarified.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Your grandparents will be coming to stay with you while your father and I are at work," Jessica informed Mike.

"Why?" he asked in confusion.

"So that we know that you have someone here who will look after you and make sure that you don't over due it. We wouldn't want you to get so caught up in something that you forget to eat or sleep," Harvey answered.

"I don't need a babysitter," Mike complained.

Seriously, he was eighteen years old; not eighteen months old.

"They're worried about you and they want to spend time with you," Jessica said.

Mike went back to his pouting. He didn't like this; he wasn't helpless. Right up until the doorbell rang, Jessica and Harvey tried to cheer the kid up, before eventually giving up to answer.

Rebecca and Robert came into the kitchen shortly after.

"So what museum are we going to today?" Rebecca asked Mike, coming around to the boy's right side and pulling him into a gentle sideways hug so as not to disturb his injuries.

"Huh?" Mike asked, confused.

"Well, there are so many different museums in New York, and I thought that since you actually had the time to go to a few of them, we would check one out a day," Rebecca said.

Robert, Harvey and Jessica smiled. This was the perfect thing to keep Mike's mind busy and keep him compliant while off work for the next three days.

"Um…" Mike said, thinking, "Could we go to the Guggenheim?" he asked hopefully.

He loved museums but he'd never had the money to actually go to them, only being able to read about them in books. He had loved going with his grandparents to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and if he could go to another one, he'd jump at the chance - work be damned.

"Well, we're going to let you three enjoy your day," Jessica said, moving forward to hug her parents goodbye. "You behave yourself," she said to Mike, hugging him and then placing a kiss on his forehead before heading out.

"Be good, pup," Harvey said, ruffling Mike's hair, before saying a polite goodbye to Robert and Rebecca and setting out himself.

Mike just rolled his eyes at his parents and said good-bye, before turning his attention back to his grandparents.

"So we're really going to a museum a day?" he asked while trying not to sound too hopeful lest it all be a joke.

"Absolutely," Robert affirmed, coming over to say hello to his grandson. "I've been meaning to do a tour of the best museums for a while now, but have never been able to make myself do it. This is the perfect reason."

"Awesome," Mike enthused, jumping up and heading towards his room. "I'll be ready in ten minutes tops," he called, hurrying away.

True to his word, Mike was at the front door eight minutes later, bouncing from foot to foot in a combination of excitement and impatience. Robert chuckled at the sight of the overeager boy. It was amazing to know that he and his wife were having a day out with their grandson.

Jessica had been their only child and while they loved her dearly, they had given up any hope of ever having grandchildren. While they might not have gotten to experience Mike's childhood and they weren't present when he was born, in their eyes Mike was everything that they ever could have hoped for. Yes, his past was devastating, but to see the strong, intelligent, loving and caring young man in front of them, they couldn't be happier.

They all piled into the car and drove toward the museum.

"Will we have time to see everything?" Mike asked excitedly.

Rebecca smiled. "We will spend as long as you want in there," she said.

"Well, the place closes at 6, so there is a cut off," Robert said.

Mike grinned at the answer - this was perfect.

True to their word, Robert and Rebecca allowed Mike to explore the entire museum to his hearts content and they did in fact end up staying there until the place closed. They had made Mike stop for a light lunch (and made him take his medicine which was accomplished with a rather skillful bit of bartering by Robert) but otherwise the entire day was spent in the museum.

Once the museum closed, Robert drove them to a nice restaurant for dinner, while Rebecca texted Harvey and Jessica about what they were up to. She had received numerous texts and calls throughout the day from the two worried parents and thus had taken to texting them every couple of hours so as to put their minds at ease.

"So, what is it that you would like for Christmas?" Rebecca asked once they were all seated and had placed their orders.

Mike paused to think about the question.

Growing up, Christmas had never really been that big of a deal, other than it was the day that he could always find a meal from some restaurant that was being kind. After he moved in with Grammy, they had always spent the day together playing cards, but there was never any money for gifts. They shared a simple meal together - typically of the cheap microwave variety - and then he would slip her a sleeping pill and go to sleep himself.

"I don't really need anything," he said. On any of the rare occasions that he received gifts, they were always things that he needed, whether it be a new shirt or, once, a pair of shoes. He didn't need anything though. His parents had seen to everything he needed and then some.

"I didn't ask what you needed. I asked what you wanted," Rebecca replied kindly. She did her level best to keep a happy expression, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for Mike. It just reminded her of the hardship that the boy had gone through.

"I have everything I need. What more could I want?" Mike asked.

Robert could tell that this conversation was hurting Rebecca. It wasn't Mike's fault, but he didn't think that it was the best conversation to continue.

"So, what was your favorite part of the museum?" he asked Mike.

Mike took to the new conversation quickly and soon the three of them were talking, laughing and eating enjoying their time together. At the end of the meal, Robert once again got the medicine into Mike and then the three of them headed off.

Harvey and Jessica were waiting for Mike when he got home. Thanking Robert and Rebecca, they then sat and listened to Mike's excited banter about how awesome the museum was and where he was thinking on going tomorrow.

They sat and talked until Mike started to get cranky and then they sent him up to bed.

Harvey and Jessica read Mike to sleep again and then took up spots beside him. They weren't ready to let him out of their sights, not knowing who he was with, any time soon.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Mike's forced leave went rather well.

The boy was thrilled to be going to new museums every day and also loved the attention that he was receiving from his grandparents. They had spent every moment together. From the time they picked him up until they dropped him off, he was never alone.

Mike had never received this much individual, positive attention from anyone other than Harvey and Jessica and it was nice.

Harvey and Jessica had spent this time working on winning the trial run at the firm. They had managed to beat Louis after putting the man himself on the stand and they had secured the partners belief that Harvey was innocent.

The most surprising part of all of it, however, was when Travis Tanner had actually agreed to a settlement, albeit begrudgingly. Of course, as soon as the firm took the settlement, Hardman put in his bid for managing partner and they now had yet another issue to deal with.

Why couldn't they catch a break?

Today, though, was Thursday the tenth of December. Mike had gone back to the doctor's that morning for a quick check-up (Harvey and Jessica had dragged him there to make sure that he had healed enough to go back to work) and Dr. Richardson had given them the information they'd requested for the assault charge. As well as this, he'd said that he was highly pleased with Mike's progress and that Mike didn't need the medication so regularly - only when he was in enough pain to warrant using it. Otherwise, Advil or Tylenol would do.

Harvey and Jessica had then relented and allowed Mike go to work.

They had entered the firm and were walking into Harvey's office.

Taking the stack of briefs that Harvey had laid on his desk, Mike started to head towards the door and back to his cubicle to work when Jessica laid a hand on his shoulder.

"What's up?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Where are you going?" she inquired.

"To my cubicle. You know, to work?" Mike replied in that lovely teenager voice that Harvey and Jessica were starting to become increasingly annoyed with.

It wasn't that he was acting out. It was just that the 'teenager voice' was basically equivalent to, 'I know better than you. Why are you asking something so stupid?'

Harvey sighed.

He and Jessica had given this a lot of thought and they weren't about to send Mike back to the associate's den, seeing as he wasn't safe there. Even before all of this started, the other associates hadn't liked Mike and had reveled in making his life miserable. Now, though, things had gotten extremely out of hand.

"You don't have a cubicle anymore," Harvey said calmly.

"What?!" Mike exclaimed worriedly. "You're firing me?!" He didn't understand. He'd done everything they'd asked. It wasn't his idea to be kept off work for so long; they'd forced him.

"NO," Jessica insisted firmly, "You're not being fired. You're work place is just being moved."

Mike was confused. "To where?" he asked skeptically.

"Here," Harvey answered.

"NO!" Mike exclaimed. He thought they'd already had this conversation! Mike had made it perfectly clear that he had no intention of working from Harvey's office. It would just make him look weak to the other associates and partners at the firm. He wasn't doing it.

"Not an option," Harvey stated simply.

"We've brought you a laptop and you can work from the table. If you'd like, we can get you a desk," Jessica offered as she guided a struggling Mike over to the table and sat him down.

"I'm not working from here," Mike objected, trying to stand up.

"You're either working from here or you're not working at all," Harvey said, giving Mike an ultimatum.

"You can't do this," Mike argued.

"Yes, we can," Jessica said, effectively ending the argument.

Mike slouched down and pouted. This really, really, really sucked.

He absolutely hated this. He knew that he wasn't about to quit. If he did, he doubted that Harvey and Jessica would let him pick up a job at another firm, given that he was only being allowed to work here because they controlled his hours so meticulously.

Sighing as he made his decision, Mike glared at the two of them. "Fine, but I want it noted that I'm doing this under protest," he said.

Harvey smirked.

"Duly noted," he said, ruffling Mike's hair as he walked over to his desk and started working.

"We just want you safe," Jessica tried to placate, laying her hand on Mike's shoulder for a second, before heading out to her office.

Turning his attention to the files in front of him, Mike noted that there was a laptop sitting on the table, along with a couple of legal pads, post its, pens and highlighters that had all been laid out for him. He had everything he needed for the job and if he was missing anything, he was willing to bet that he'd just be told to take it from his dad's desk.

He stole a quick look out to Donna's desk and felt a small pang of guilt as he saw the temp sitting in Donna's place.

Mike and Harvey worked steadily up until lunch. It wasn't all that bad. They had kept up random bits of banter all throughout the morning whenever things got slow or they just needed a few minutes break from what they were doing.

It was fun, actually, but Mike still didn't like that he was being kept there and had lost his cubicle.

He had been made to stop at lunch so that he could eat and then Mike took his usual nap, which was more of a fight than it normally had been since he hadn't taken one while he was off.

Harvey didn't trust the temp to keep people out of his office, so he ended up taking Mike with him to the senior partner's meeting in order to make sure the kid was safe.

Mike was bored to death in the meeting. He had read through the papers provided at the beginning and now he was just sitting there. Seeing as how everyone else in the room was a senior partner and he was just a first year associate, Mike knew that he really wasn't meant to be there. However, no one was saying anything about it, although he had received a few curious glances.

He shuffled his feet, and was doodling on the back of the page in front of him when an idea hit him.

It wasn't that often that something came to him - no more than twice a month or so. But when it did, his brain tended to focus all of it's attention on the problem, or the proof, or the design, or the experiment, or whatever else popped into his head.

The first time he remembered this happening was whenever he was four, living with the Harrison's.

He had just stopped what he was doing and started writing down a series of equations that no one else had understood. Mr. Harrison had freaked out and started beating Mike relentlessly until he couldn't move and thus, couldn't write anymore. After that, Mike had learned to control his impulse to write out what he was thinking and instead he worked on it in his mind.

Over the years, Mike had mastered hiding what he was actually doing.

His mind would be a million miles away while his body would turn towards voices or look around the room. He would fidget and he had a hard time sitting still. To anyone who didn't know any better, it just looked as though he had ADHD or something. He literally couldn't sit still and had no attention span.

Harvey had been patient with Mike. He knew that the boy was bored, so he had ignored it when Mike had stated to doodle on the back of the pages that he'd been given. At least it looked as though the kid was taking notes.

Now, however, Mike was staring into space and fidgeting constantly. It was obvious that Mike wasn't paying attention and he was starting to draw the gaze of other partners.

Once such partner was Callister.

Callister studied Mike closely. He was highly intelligent himself, having scored the second highest on the IQ test at the retreat (second only to Mike).

Like Mike, he occasionally had times when something popped into his mind and his brain gave it his full attention. However, it was seldom and he always stopped to write or work it out.

He also only had one area of expertise, whereas Mike could come up with anything.

Throughout the meeting, Callister had been watching Mike and had seen when the kid had stopped drawing, recognizing the glazed-over look. He had, however, been expecting Mike to start writing furiously, so as to get the idea out of his head and onto paper.

Mike had never started doing so and thus, Callister had watched him curiously. At first, he had thought that he was wrong. But when Mike ignored Harvey's subtle gestures to start paying attention, and then the not so subtle gestures, he was certain that he knew what was up with Mike.

Harvey was just about to shake Mike's shoulder to get the boy's attention when Callister interrupted him.

"Don't," Callister protested, stopping Harvey.

Shooting Callister a curious glance, he asked, "Why not?"

"Because he's not ignoring you on purpose," Callister answered, smirking.

"Then what is he doing?" Hardman demanded, annoyed.

He hadn't liked that Mike had been brought to the meeting, but had known better than to say anything, considering that Harvey and Jessica were in the same room and that they were extremely protective of the boy.

Callister stiffened at Hardman's tone.

He knew what it was like to be in Mike's shoes (well, not completely. But he did know what it was like to have your intelligence misjudged because others didn't want to understand).

Harvey and Jessica needed to know, though, so Callister went on. "Something's come to him and he's trying to work it out," he explained as though it were completely normal.

Harvey was confused. "I don't think so. He's done this before and it typically just means he's bored," he disagreed.

Callister shook his head. "No, he had already found something to amuse himself before he started doing this. He's processing something and if you try to shake him out of it, you'll just agitate him," he explained. People had yanked him out of his work before and he knew how frustrating it could be.

"I don't understand. Is this something that we're working on?" Jessica asked.

"No. This is something that just came to him. Is there anything in particular that he's good at? Science, chemistry, electronics, mechanics, math?" Callister suggested.

"He's good with numbers," Harvey offered. "Oh, and he likes to take things apart and 'adjust' them."

"Well, he could be thinking about something along those lines or it could be any other topic that comes to him," Callister lectured. "He had an IQ of almost 200 and, in all honesty, I'd say it's probably higher than that. Bare in mind, he finished the test in less than five minutes and that wasn't taken into consideration. The boy is a genius and sometimes things will come to him, nag at him, and he needs to work through them. It's amazing what can come from these sudden ideas. Some of the most astounding breakthroughs have come from such things."

All of the partners in the room were impressed. None had known and they had to admit it was amazing. It also showed just how smart Mike was yet again.

Harvey and Jessica were stunned.

They had both seen Mike do this countless times in the past few months, but had never known why he was doing it. Rather, they had just turned his attention to something else. That had clearly been a bad idea.

Harvey was reminded of Thanksgiving when he, Mike and Marcus were all sitting in the kitchen waiting on the food to cook. He had thought that Mike was just bored, so he'd gotten the boy's attention and then handed him his sketchpad. Guess he shouldn't have done that.

Callister took the silence to slide a legal pad over in front of Mike and then put a pen in the boy's hand, careful to avoid rousing Mike from his thoughts. He waited a few seconds before moving Mike's hand, by the pen, onto the pad in an attempt to encourage him to write. Seeing as how it was the first instinct that Callister tended to have, he was a bit surprised that he had to prod the kid to so.

"Does it happen to you?" a partner, Raleigh, asked curiously.

"On occasion. However, I think that for Mike, it occurs somewhat regularly?" Callister replied, posing his question to Harvey and Jessica.

"On average, it seems to happen about once every two weeks or so," Harvey answered.

Callister nodded his head, taking this in. "He must have a lot going on in his mind," he eventually said.

Everyone was silent for a moment. The only sound in the room was Mike writing fervently on the legal pad (finally taking to Callister's silent coaxing, which thankfully hadn't broken his concentration).

Harvey and Spendelton (the partner on the other side of Mike) both leaned over to see what Mike was writing and were surprised to see what looked like musical notes scribbled all over the page. There were different parts as well - flutes, saxophones, tubas, violins, clarinets, trumpets, and so many more. There were parts scratched out and it looked as though Mike was writing an entire symphony.

Callister leaned over to see what had Mike so enthralled and was a bit surprised.

"Guess he's also a music prodigy," he stated in awe.

Everyone took a little while to take in all that they'd just learned, before finally turning back to the meeting at hand.

Callister, Harvey and Jessica all took note of when Mike was running low on paper and switched out the old legal pad with a new one. They then flipped through it to see what was there, before turning back to the meeting.

When they were looking through the first legal pad full of music, Harvey had turned to Callister. "I don't suppose you know what all of this means?" he asked curiously.

Callister shook his head as he looked over the pad.

"Music isn't my area. I focus more on mechanics and law. Mike seems to be all over the place. I doubt there's a single area that he doesn't have some new idea on. I'd love to hear this though, I'm curious," he said.

Nodding his head, Harvey then took the pad back and started a pile for Mike.

Mike had gone through three full legal pads and was halfway through his fourth by the time the meeting came to an end.

Harvey and Jessica hated to do it, but they knew that Mike really did need to get back to the office. He could work more on it there if he wanted, but they couldn't hold a conference room all day when there were other clients and partners who needed to use it.

Sighing, Harvey gently shook Mike out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Mike asked, jumping a little as he came out of his head. He looked around a bit confused as to where everyone had gotten to, before looking down and seeing his symphony written all over the paper.

"Oh, shit, sorry," he said quickly. None of his foster families had been happy about this type of thing and it had just scared his Grammy the one time he'd done it in front of her. Usually, he could keep it in his head, but there were occasions when it was just too much. He hadn't thought that this was one of them.

"You have NOTHING to be sorry for," Jessica told Mike firmly. She didn't know exactly why Mike was apologizing, but she had a good guess that it stemmed from his childhood.

"I didn't mean to… How did I?" Mike asked, confused.

"Callister gave you the legal pad and pen when he realized what you were doing," Harvey answered.

It dawned on Mike then. "Didn't know he would understand," Mike shrugged.

"Yeah, said it happened to him from time to time. Though, not as often as it does to you," Harvey said.

Mike dipped his head. "I don't mean to…" he started, but he was cut off by both of his parent's vehement insistence that it was absolutely fine, that he should have told them, and that they just needed to make sure they kept spare paper and pens around him as much as possible. That way, he could work things out rather than keeping everything trapped inside his mind. They also insisted that they hear what Mike had come up with when he was finished.

Despite their insistence that he was welcome to continue working on his 'song,' Mike went back to work after that. (He refrained from correcting them and telling them it was a symphony, doubting that they'd fully understand the difference).

Mike had insisted that he wanted to do his work, but that he'd be sure to finish when he had the time.

Harvey and Jessica let Mike work, but they also sat down to come up with a schedule for Mike.

It was clear that Mike had many interests and his mind needed to be kept active. He tended to get agitated if he was kept working all day with no time for creativity - whether that be playing a video game, drawing, or working on some project in his 'building room' (that's what they had dubbed the room at their home that contained all of the electronical gadgets that Mike worked on).

Mike was eighteen and he had been too busy working and surviving to actually enjoy life. If he kept this up, he would burn out before he was 21.

Harvey and Jessica came up with a tentative schedule, knowing that it would change based on day to day activities, as well as Mike's sudden 'ideas' that could come at any time.

They set a bedtime and a naptime, because those were some of the most important along with meal times.

They also set up time for Mike to relax and work on things that interest him between the time they got home from work and the time Mike had to go to sleep, with dinner placed in the middle.

They'd then included three, half hour breaks set into the workday for Mike. This free time would allow Mike to exercise his mind or just relax, depending on what he wanted to do.

Mike wasn't thrilled with the schedule.

He didn't like that he was being made take breaks when no one else in the firm was. It wasn't his fault that he was younger than the other associates, and it wasn't his fault that he was smarter than almost anyone else.

He argued for a solid two hours, before finally giving in with the knowledge that there was nothing he could do if his parents truly decided to stick to this.

The rest of the day went by simply, and soon Mike was in bed and - secretly - counting down the day's until Christmas.

Harvey and Jessica had bought him an advent calendar and he liked the daily piece of chocolate each morning (it was the only time he'd ever been allowed to have chocolate with breakfast). His parents, his grandparents, Donna and even Marcus had all been getting him excited about Christmas and he was eager for the day to come.

He kept a chart under his pillow and every night after he was left alone in his room, Mike marked off a day, counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until Christmas.


	30. Chapter 30

**I did some research before writing this chapter so don't think that all of the facts are made up. **

**Also I love receiving suggestions and have and will incorporate as many as I can. I have received one a little back about Harvey and Jessica getting together and, as much as I appreciate it, I won't be incorporating it because I just don't see it in their dynamic. Jessica is in charge and I don't see her and Harvey getting together personally. I will however, be looking into Mike's opinions about Harvey dating a little later on but it'll be just a bit longer. **

**I have also received two other suggestions, one where Mike is caught with a girl and one where Mike uses his lingual abilities to charm a client and they will be coming up in future chapters as well, earlier than Harvey dating actually. **

Chapter 30

Mike waited by the door ready to go. He was impatient, shifting from foot to foot.

This was the first day that his new 'schedule' was to be put into effect and he now had even less hours than he did before.

Jessica walked towards the door and took in her rather anxious son. He looked like the eager puppy that Harvey kept equating him too and Jessica couldn't help but smile a bit at the image it presented.

"Ready to go?" she asked as she came over to turn off the security system and unlock the door (she and Harvey both had security cards on their key chains and there was a code that changed weekly. Both were required so Mike couldn't turn it off himself).

"Where's Dad?" Mike asked in response.

"He'll be meeting us at the office," Jessica answered, ushering Mike to the elevator. "He had somewhere he had to be this morning."

As they drove to the office, Mike kept checking his phone. Donna hadn't called him yet that morning, which was strange. She had called him every morning before work since she'd been fired and he'd called her every evening before he went to bed.

It wasn't like Donna not to call and Mike was getting worried.

Before he could do anything though, they were at the firm, so Mike just decided to ask his father if he'd heard from Donna lately, before sending Donna a text every thirty seconds until she answered him.

A million horrible scenarios were running through Mike's head and he was starting to become really concerned, so he actually walked past Donna's desk and was to Harvey's office door before his brain finally caught up to what his eyes were seeing.

He whirled around, eyes huge. "Donna!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, sweetie," Donna greeted, pulling Mike into a hug.

"I thought something had happened when you never called," Mike told her worriedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry I just wanted to surprise you," Donna apologized. She then let go of Mike and pulled something out from a bag behind her desk. "This is for you," she said, holding out a laptop to Mike.

"Thanks, but-" Mike took it, scratching his head, "I already have a laptop."

"This has a music program on it." Donna smiled as she handed it over. "I heard about the symphony you were writing and I thought that this would be a great way for you to create it without having to get every instrument required," she explained.

Mike smiled. "Thanks, Donna, this is perfect!" he exclaimed, taking the laptop, giving Donna a quick hug and then hurrying to his seat in Harvey's office. He pulled out the six legal pads he had filled with the symphony and opened up the computer setting to work.

"Donna, I don't suppose you know of an available associate?" Harvey inquired as he watched Mike fall into that headspace of complete focus.

"I'm sure, I can wrangle up a couple," Donna offered, heading off towards the associates cubicles. "I'll send them to your office," she called over her shoulder as she left.

"We really can't count on a real schedule for him, can we?" Jessica inquired, smiling as she watched her son.

"No, but I vote we get him some headphones," Harvey replied as he opened the door to his office and they could both hear the sounds of music coming through.

"Agreed, but if we interrupt him now he'll refuse to continue," Jessica said, walking away towards her own office.

Sighing, Harvey sat down at his desk and tried to get to work. He was just starting to focus on his current case when two of the associates knocked on his door.

Harvey stole a glance at Mike, thankful that the boy was too absorbed in his work to notice, before he gestured for the two to enter.

"You needed something?" one of the associates asked.

"Yes, I need the two of you to proof these." He held up a stack of four briefs to the associate on his left. "And I need all the information you can find on these companies," Harvey finished, handing a file with three companies listed on it to the associate on his right.

"Yes, sir," the two associates chorused. The one to Harvey's right left the office immediately and headed back to work. However, the one to Harvey's left looked down at the stack of briefs that he'd been handed and then over to Mike who was sitting there playing on the computer.

"Is there a problem?" Harvey asked the associate who was still standing in front of his desk.

"No, sir. I…" the associate trailed off.

"You what?" Harvey questioned.

"I was just wondering…" the associate hesitated, chancing a glance over at Mike, who was still on the laptop.

Harvey followed the associate's eyes and watched Mike for a moment. He was thankful that the boy was fully absorbed in his music. "Mike is none of your concern," Harvey growled at the associate.

Sorry that he had even thought to ask, the associate took that as his queue to leave and bolted from the room, back to the safety of his cubicle. It had just seemed unfair that he was being given so much work when Mr. Specter's associate was just sitting at the table playing.

Harvey shook his head, before getting back to work. He and Jessica had talked it over in great detail and they had decided that while Mike would still remain Harvey's associate, he wouldn't be held to any set hours.

Mike's mind was just too active to be kept in a cage, locked away. Both had told Mike that they didn't want him to hide who he really was anymore, that there was nothing wrong with being intelligent. However, they hadn't quite realized what all Mike's intelligence meant. They weren't complaining, never would, but it did mean that Mike received certain… liberties that other's didn't.

Harvey and Jessica had done some research and learned that genius' are known for keeping to their own schedule and that it is difficult to keep them focused on something that they don't want to focus on. They learned that doodling and writing were highly common, because it was a way to get their thoughts onto paper and explain them to others - art of all type fell under that category.

A lowered testosterone level was also common. Apparently intelligence and testosterone didn't go together. Not that Mike didn't have any, - he was still a guy - but he developed a bit slower than most.

The emotions of a genius may also be higher, which made sense when Harvey thought about how Mike was known to empathize with every client.

They'd talked to Clarice and learned that when Mike gets into an idea, he can and most likely will, lose himself in it. Mike's brain would keep going until his body gave out. It was a somewhat common occurrence when dealing with geniuses and given that Mike had the highest IQ that she'd ever heard of, he was more likely to work himself into the ground, meaning that he'd need a bit more supervision.

It was also known that geniuses were known to think and see the world differently than everyone else. This meant that they would do things that made no sense to others at first, but made complete sense in the end. Examples of this were Einstein's theory of relativity and the Wright brothers' dream to fly. The things Mike did might not always make sense to the observer, but to Mike they were important, so it wouldn't be good to criticize anything.

From Callister, they learned that Mike wouldn't always be able to control what came to him or what he focused on. He said that so long as there was nothing else he needed to do, it would be a good idea to just let Mike work. They did need to make sure that the boy took care of his basic needs. It wasn't healthy for Mike to stay trapped inside his head forever, so they should make him interact with people at least twice a day. Constant solitude could lead to depression, insanity, or both.

Dr. Richards suggested that the reason Mike's true intelligence and the effects that it had were hidden before was down to the fact that Mike wasn't healthy.

Before Jessica had learned Mike's true age, the boy had been freakishly smart, but he had been able to work for days on end solely focused on the job and he didn't need breaks. However, in truth, Mike's mind hadn't been working at full capacity. Mike had been hiding how smart he truly was. When something came to him, he hid it by being fidgety, thus prompting someone nearby to stop him because he was becoming annoying.

Mike had also been severely malnourished and sleep deprived. His body was too busy keeping himself going to worry about full mental capacity. Now that Mike was actually healthy (aside from his weight not being where it should, though it was improving) and he was no longer hiding his real intelligence, Mike was showing his different quirks.

Given all the information that they had gathered since the adoption, Harvey and Jessica had decided that when Mike was focused on something outside of work, it was fine. Mike was just a kid. He hadn't been allowed a childhood. Forced to hide himself his entire life, he had been ripped away from the only people who loved him and then abused and tortured, before running to the streets for his own safety. He had then self educated and barely kept himself and his grandmother from starving to death.

But Mike didn't need to work himself to the bone any longer.

He now had family, parents that loved and cared for him, an aunt (OK a Donna) and an uncle that adored him, and grandparents who doted on him. Mike no longer had to worry about when his next meal was going to come or where he would be sleeping, because he had all of those things.

Harvey knew that Mike was feeling more secure, because he had stopped building his stash of food in the bottom of his closet. While it was still there, Mike was no longer adding to it. He finally had the chance to be a child and while it was a little late in coming, it wasn't going to hurt.

There wasn't any real need for Mike to work. The only reason that Harvey and Jessica allowed him to keep the job was because they knew that Mike needed the reassurance of a steady income after all those years of slaving away for enough money to live.

Now, Mike had the chance to exercise his mind and he felt safe enough to do so, Harvey and Jessica were going to encourage it. They had come up with a schedule for Mike in order to force the boy to take breaks and let his creativity run wild. If Mike needed or wanted more time for that, they were happy to oblige.

They worked steadily up until lunch - Harvey on his cases and Mike on his symphony.

At first, Harvey hadn't cared for the music because it was in bits and pieces and was extremely confusing, but after four hours, it actually started to sound really good.

Looking at the time, Harvey was shocked when Donna came into the room with lunch for both he and Mike.

Donna placed a hand on Mike's shoulder, jerking the boy out of his thoughts.

"What?" Mike asked, looking around in confusion.

"It's lunch time, sweetie," Donna said.

Mike's eyes went wide as he looked at the time on his watch. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, turning to face Harvey.

"Mike," Harvey sighed. He knew the boy would think he'd screwed up. "You did nothing wrong. I've been enjoying the music."

"It's sounds wonderful. Can I hear it?" Donna asked, trying to placate the upset boy.

Mike hadn't meant to ignore his work all morning and he wasn't going to do it after lunch, but there wasn't anything he could do about it at this minute. Besides, he knew that Harvey and Donna weren't going to accept his apologies.

Shooting an apologetic look at Harvey, Mike turned to give Donna a small smile. "It's not done, but I can play you what there is?" he offered.

"That would be wonderful," Donna replied.

Mike nodded and hit the play button.

The sounds that filled the room were amazing - all of the different parts coming together left Harvey and Donna speechless.

They had never heard anything so astounding, and were having a hard time grasping that it had all come from Mike - the same Mike whom had gone through so much pain had created something so beautiful.

When the music ended, Mike kept looking for some kind of a reaction between the two other people in the room.

"Well?" he prompted after a couple minutes of silence.

Donna came out of her stupor first. "That was amazing," she said, pulling Mike into a hug. "When it's finished, I want a copy."

She walked back to her desk then, playing over the music in her head for as long as she could.

"Dad?" Mike asked cautiously. Harvey's opinion meant more to him than anything and he needed to know what the man thought.

Harvey didn't say anything, just stood up and wrapped Mike in a hug.

"I'm so sorry you've never gotten to do this before," he whispered into Mike's ear. "I should have seen this before, I shouldn't have stopped you," he apologized.

"You never stopped me," Mike stated, confused.

Harvey pulled back, but kept his hands on Mike's shoulders. "You worked here for over four months where I overloaded you and then allowed Louis to do the same. I never took the time to notice that you were just a kid or just how amazing you really are. I redirected your attention whenever you got fidgety, thinking that you were ADD and I'm sorry," Harvey finished.

"You had no way of knowing," Mike responded. "I don't blame you for anything"

Harvey gave Mike a small smile, before finally letting go. "Lunch time," he said, patting Mike on the shoulder and then leading him over to the couch, where both lunch containers were waiting.

"You eating too?" Mike asked as Harvey sat down next to him.

"Yep," Harvey replied.

They ate lunch in companionable silence and then Harvey made Mike go to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Harvey watched Mike as he slept. The kid looked so young and innocent in his sleep that it always amazed Harvey that Mike had been able to fool them for so long.

Frowning as he watched Mike shift in his sleep, - recognizing the signs of a nightmare coming on - Harvey picked up what he was working on and moved to sit on a chair next to the couch. It always pleased him that he could calm Mike down just by moving closer to him while he was sleeping. Mike was amazing, but there were so many secrets that he kept locked away in that head of his.

Harvey let his mind wander to the song that Mike was working on. It was breathtaking and it had all come from the mind of the boy who was currently asleep on the couch. It truly astounded him that something so beautiful could come from someone who had been through so much pain. Harvey vowed then, that Mike wouldn't have to go through that kind of heartache again; he'd already dealt with more than one should in a lifetime and he was only eighteen years old.

It still shocked Harvey that Mike had managed to survive what he did and still be as innocent and kind and functioning as he was. It wasn't that he wanted Mike to be cold and cynical and broken, but a lot of people who had gone through the type of things Mike had ended up in prison or worse, and he was grateful every day that Mike had fumbled his way into that interview and lied his ass off in order to get a job.

Harvey couldn't help but wonder where Mike would be right now if they'd never met. Mike probably would have gotten away from the cops, he was a genius after all, and then he would have gone right back to Trevor. Harvey cringed at the thought.

"What the hell is this?" Hardman demanded as he barged into Harvey's office.

Harvey turned to Hardman, standing up to heard the man out. "What are you doing in my office?" he asked.

"I want to know why an employee is passed out on your couch after having spent the entire morning doing absolutely nothing!" Hardman exclaimed.

"Dad?" Mike sleepily muttered as he sat up on the couch, fisted his eyes and looked around.

Harvey silently cursed, Mike had gotten maybe twenty minutes of sleep and there was next to no chance of getting him back down. Not only that but Hardman was still standing in the office.

"Did he just call you Dad?" Hardman asked incredulously.

"Yes," Harvey answered. "Why? Is there a problem?"

Mike blanched as he realized that he'd called Harvey dad in front of Hardman. He didn't want anyone at the firm to know that Harvey and Jessica had adopted him because he didn't want it to appear that he was only kept around because of nepotism and not because he could actually do the work.

He realized that they were still talking, but he didn't quite pay attention to what they were saying, all he could think about was that he didn't want to be here. Making that decision, he stood up and left.

Mike's first stop was to see Donna, but she wasn't at her desk - guess that's how Hardman got in. Next, Mike decided to go see his mother, figuring that she'd be able to fix things. However, when he got to her office, she was in a meeting with a client so Mike just turned and left.

He went to go see Rachael figuring that if nothing else, he would have someone to joke around with. Unfortunately, Rachael was swamped and kicked him out. Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to leave the building, he decided to go down and see Benjamin.

He hadn't been to see the IT guy in a while, not since this whole thing had started, but he had been chatting with him and playing chess, risk, and any other game that the two found intriguing online. He had also been hacking into Benjamin's system and Benjamin into his just to prove that they could. It was like a game - give the other time to create a security system and then hack into it to prove the weak points. Yeah, it would be fun to go and see Benjamin for a little while; he had his phone on him if anyone was looking for him.

Harvey was annoyed.

Mike had left but he couldn't blame the boy. He had been nervous around Hardman ever since Hardman had hurt him. He just hoped that Mike hadn't gone too far.

"And why exactly is your associate calling you Dad?" Hardman questioned.

"Because he's my son," Harvey stated simply.

Hardman was confused. While he had known that Harvey was being extremely protective of the boy, especially since he had been attacked by a former associate, he hadn't known there was a genetic link. "And how is that then?" he queried skeptically.

"I adopted him a few months back," Harvey replied. "Now you need to leave."

Hardman sighed – not the smoking gun he was hoping for, though it would be something he filed away for a later time. "We've gotten off topic," he said. "I don't care if he's your son or not, he is still an associate at this firm and yet he isn't actually doing any work."

"He works," Harvey argued. He was not in the mood to have this conversation.

"Oh. And when would that be?" Hardman snarked sarcastically.

"Everyday he's in," Harvey responded.

"Really? Because from what I've been told all he's done so far today is play on a computer, eat lunch and then sleep on your couch. I fail to see where the work has been accomplished," Hardman retorted.

"What are you doing in here?" Donna asked angrily coming into Harvey's office. She had stepped out to use the restroom and had come back to a rather angry Hardman staring down an even angrier Harvey and no Mike in sight.

"I'm here inquiring why we have a paid associate who isn't actually working?" Hardman informed her.

"And I would like to know why you think that he isn't working?" Harvey questioned as he watched Donna slip out of the office.

"If he's working then why did you hand work off to two other associates just this morning?" Hardman inquired.

Harvey gritted his teeth. That blasted associate. Harvey knew that the man had been acting off; he should have set him straight right then rather than just scare him away. "They were routine and mundane. They would have bored Mike. I prefer to give my son work worthy of his ability," he stated smugly.

"Well, if you don't have work that will challenge the boy, then I'll be happy to take him," Hardman smiled.

"Never," Harvey growled out.

"Is there a problem here?" Jessica asked, coming into the room. She was aware of some of what was going on - Donna had called her once she'd heard Hardman's question.

"I'm merely wondering why we have a paid associate who doesn't work?" Hardman politely inquired, turning to Jessica.

"Mike is paid for the hours that he works, however those vary throughout the day," Jessica informed Hardman. "Now, I suggest that you find some work to do and leave Mike to those who actually know him."

Hardman was upset to say the least, but Jessica Pearson was the managing partner, for the time being, so he politely smiled and left the room. At least something had come out of this. He now learned the connection between Harvey and his associate.

"Where's Mike?" Harvey and Jessica asked at the same time, the second Hardman had left.

"He left here when Hardman woke him. I assumed he'd gone to you," Harvey told Jessica.

"He never came to me. I thought you knew where he was," Jessica worried.

Both Harvey and Jessica turned to question Donna, but the woman wasn't there. "Where is she?" Jessica demanded.

"Gone to find our son," Harvey answered matter-of-factly. There were times that he was truly grateful that Donna was his assistant.

Donna had headed out to look for Mike the second Jessica had shown up. Mike hadn't been with her, and she wouldn't have left the boy alone in her office without someone there to keep an eye on him. If Mike wasn't with Jessica, wasn't in Harvey's office, and wasn't at Donna's cubicle, then he needed to be found.

The first place that Donna checked was Rachael's office. She had seen Mike earlier but hadn't had time to entertain him, so had sent Mike out. Next, Donna checked the break room and then the bullpen - no Mike.

She searched the entire floor and was starting to worry. She grabbed her phone to see if Harvey or Jessica had heard from Mike when she mentally slapped herself. 'Where are you?' she texted to Mike.

When Mike reached the IT floor, he quickly made his way to Benjamin's office.

"Hey," he greeted, coming into the room without knocking.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were still alive," Benjamin greeted his friend.

"If I wasn't alive, then who just sent you a new security system two days ago?" Mike inquired.

"Lola?" Benjamin offered.

"Yeah, right. She'd never be able to come up with anything as awesome as I built," Mike bragged. "Still haven't cracked it yet have you?"

Lola Jensen had become a part of their little game not long after she had helped Harvey break into the banks in Lichtenstein. When Mike had told Harvey that Lola had learned his secret and was threatening to tell, he hadn't been lying.

He had only neglected to say which secret Lola had learned.

After the case was solved, Mike and Lola had kept in touch. It had been nice to be able to talk to someone about everything, and she was also rather intelligent and well-versed in both computers and science, so there was plenty for them to talk about.

Mike and Benjamin had been hanging out one day when they had run into Lola. It hadn't taken long after that before the three of them were regularly talking and playing games online and, when their schedules' permitted, hanging out in person.

They didn't get to see each other all that often due to the fact that it was rare that all three of them had a day off at the same time, but they did talk most days. It was something all three enjoyed. They were all somewhat close in age and had plenty in common.

Benjamin liked that he was the oldest of the three (Lola had spilled Mike's secret on accident and Benjamin had taken it rather well) and that he had people to hang out with who were as good at computers and logical thinking as he was. It was a nice change from being one of the younger IT techs and having to do a lot of the grunt work.

Lola liked that she had people to talk to who were as interested in computers and electronics as she was and could actually offer her a challenge. She worked in a science lab and while the people around her weren't idiots, they also weren't the best with computers. They were scientists, after all. She was 21 and the only girl in the group.

Mike liked that there were people close to his age that he could hang out with. People who knew the truth about who he was (at least his age and his mind. His childhood wasn't something they knew about) and they provided a challenge for him in at least one area of interest.

"I've been busy and haven't had the time to look at it yet," Benjamin denied.

"Sure," Mike scoffed. "You do realize I put a tag on it to let me know when you try to open it?"

Benjamin scowled at that. He'd tried to open it not even two hours after he'd received it and quite a few times since, but it was good and taking a while.

Mike got bored while waiting for a comeback from Benjamin and took the time to glance around the office. The room was somewhat cluttered but still organized. It was a little smaller than Rachael's and the wall of shelves opposite the door did nothing to make the room look bigger. Scanning across the desk, Mike saw a paper of strange looking pictures.

"What's this?" Mike asked picking up the page of pictures and noticing that there was a see through plastic sheet overtop of it.

"Tattoos," Benjamin said offhandedly.

"No, they're not," Mike argued.

Benjamin shot Mike a confused look. "Yes, they are."

"No. Tattoos take needles, this is paper."

"These are tattoos. They only take water, a paper towel, and about thirty seconds to apply."

"How are they meant to stay forever?"

"They're not."

"I thought tattoos were meant to be permanent?"

"Well, they are, but these aren't normal tattoos. They're only temporary ones."

"Temporary?"

Benjamin paused. "Haven't you ever had a temporary tattoo before?" he asked.

"Never heard of them," Mike answered.

"You want one?' Benjamin offered. Everyone deserved to have a temporary tattoo at least once in their life.

"Can I?" Mike asked hopefully.

"Which one do you want?"

"Um…" Mike studied the page of pictures. "This one," he said excitedly, pointing to a TARDIS. He had been debating between that, a Dalek, or a sonic screwdriver.

Benjamin nodded and took the page from Mike. He cut out the desired tattoo and then wetted a napkin with his bottle of water. "Where do you want it?"

"Where's best?" Mike asked uncertainly.

"Your shoulder if you don't want people to see it, that's where I usually put mine." Yes, temporary tattoos were made for children but really, they were fun. Adults got tattoos all the time and those were permanent. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing childish about a temporary tattoo. He could have a tattoo and still be able to take it off and change it whenever he wanted - his way was practical.

Mike quickly undid the cuff on his right sleeve and rolled it all the way up, his suit jacket still being in Harvey's office.

"OK, hold still," Benjamin instructed as he applied the tattoo to Mike's arm.

As soon as he was done, Mike looked down at his arm. "This is cool," he smiled.

"Yeah. It'll last about a week, but if you want it gone sooner, you just have to wash it off," Benjamin instructed.

"Thanks," Mike said. "So, what you working on?"

They spent the next twenty minutes focused on Benjamin's work and debating the best type of CPU, Mike's slip up in front of Hardman completely pushed from the boy's mind. Their argument was disrupted when Mike received a text from Donna. He quickly replied with two letters, 'IT,' before turning back to the conversation at hand.

"There you are," Donna sighed in relief as she entered Benjamin's office.

Stopping what he was working on with Benjamin, Mike looked up at Donna. "I haven't moved in over half an hour," he told her.

Donna smirked; the kid was a cheeky little thing. "Well, it's time to head off," she said.

"Why?" Mike complained. He didn't want to leave. It had been ages since he'd gotten to talk to Benjamin face to face and he was having fun.

"You shouldn't whine, Mike. You might make it on the naughty list," Benjamin teased.

"The what?" Mike asked, confused.

"The naughty list," Benjamin repeated.

"What's that" Mike questioned.

"It's Santa's list," Benjamin stated.

"Who?" Mike asked. This was all becoming really confusing and Benjamin wasn't helping.

"You know. Santa?" He cleared his throat. "The one who brings toys to all the children on Christmas?"

"Oh, I already have a toy," Mike said, pulling out a cheap little toy car and holding it for Benjamin to see.

"Where did you get that?" Donna asked. The car looked familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"From when we went shopping for clothes. They were attached to the night clothes that I got," Mike answered.

"Yeah, but that's just a small little thing. Santa brings all sorts of toys," Benjamin cut in. He didn't understand Mike's interest in a cheap little car. He had brought up Santa as a joke, prodding Mike about his age was typically good for a laugh, but he hadn't expected Mike to take it so literally.

"A person only needs one toy," Mike stated.

"Children tend to have many toys," Benjamin corrected.

Mike looked confused and turned to Donna seeking confirmation who gave it sadly.

"Is that the only toy you have?" Donna asked.

"Yes," Mike answered.

"Is that the only toy you've ever had?" Benjamin asked.

"Yes," Mike said again.

Donna was just about able to control herself. She wanted to wrap Mike up in a hug and never let go. It always upset her when a new fact about Mike's youth was brought up, but she knew that Mike didn't like it when they pitied him. Mike hated pity - he saw it as someone thinking him weak and that wasn't safe.

Benjamin was stunned.

He didn't know anything about Mike's past - though he did guess that it wasn't ideal - but still, what kid had never had a toy before?

Mike was becoming agitated under the constant stares of the two in the room with him, so - despite his desire to stay and talk with Benjamin - he stood up and started towards the door.

"See ya," he said, giving a quick wave.

Benjamin came out of his musing when Mike started to head out. "Hey, take these," he said, holding out the rest of the tattoos to Mike.

"They're yours," Mike refused.

"I have tons. You take these," Benjamin insisted.

"You sure?" Mike asked.

"Yeah."

"Thanks," Mike said, hiding a smile as he took the tattoos and looked them over.

As he and Donna headed towards the elevator, Mike held out the tattoos. "Cool huh?" he asked.

Donna took the tattoos and looked them over. It took her a moment to figure out what they were but once she understood, she couldn't help but smile. It was good for Mike to get to enjoy the simple things of childhood that he'd missed out on. Benjamin probably wasn't a bad influence.

"These are really nice," she said, handing them back.

"You want one?"

"No, sweetie, you keep these."

They walked the rest of the way back to Harvey's office quickly. As soon as Mike entered, Harvey turned to him. "Where did you go?" he questioned.

"Down to see Benjamin," Mike shrugged, going over to sit down at the table and making a start on the numerous briefs that were sitting there for him. While Harvey had passed his work off to two other associates, Mike still had work from various partners as well as two from Louis.

"Who?" Harvey asked.

"It seems that Mike made a friend in the IT department," Donna supplied. She gestured to Harvey and Jessica that she'd explain everything later but she didn't want to do so in front of Mike.

"Well, you certainly know a lot of people," Jessica commented, relaxing now that she knew her son was safely back in Harvey's office.

Mike just shrugged.

"So what did you two get up two?" Harvey inquired.

"He gave me a tattoo," Mike answered excitedly turning away from his work to look at Harvey.

"What?!" Harvey and Jessica exclaimed simultaneously.

"Relax," Donna sighed, before holding out the sheet of tattoos. "They're wash offs."

"Show me," Jessica demanded.

Mike rolled his eyes, but pushed up his sleeve to show his parents his tattoo. "Cool huh?" he asked excitedly.

Not understanding, Harvey stated simply, "It's a police box."

"No. It's the Doctor's TARDIS," Mike corrected, excitedly looking between his parents. "You know, from Doctor Who?"

"It's very nice," Jessica appeased. So long as it was just a fake, she didn't care what it was.

Everyone calmed down.

Harvey went back to his desk and Donna back to hers. Jessica took one last look at Mike, before turning to head out. However, right before she opened the door, Mike looked up and turned to her.

"Who's Santa?" he asked. "And what's a 'naughty list'?" The kid frowned, turning to Harvey this time.

Both parents were shocked into silence.

How were they supposed to explain this one?


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Harvey froze; he and Jessica had never discussed how they were going to handle the different childhood characters that children grew up believing in until they were told otherwise.

While the two of them were encouraging Mike to enjoy different aspects of childhood, though a little late, Harvey didn't know about this.

There were many different characters that children believed in when they were young - some of the main one's being the Tooth Fairy, the Easter bunny and of course, Santa Clause. It was a part of childhood. However, Mike was a genius and it was questionable as to whether he would even want to believe such tales. Yes, he had the innocence of a child, - his stolen youth and his mind providing that - however, his mind also posed a problem.

Harvey didn't know what to say. He didn't mind Mike believing in Santa (it was something everyone should get to do at some point in their lives) but did Jessica? Should he let Jessica make the decision? It would be the easier thing to do but he was Mike's father - a fact that had probably gotten around the entire firm by now - and he should have a say on the issue.

It also kind of shocked Harvey that Mike didn't know already.

While Mike might not have heard about Santa while on the streets, he had moved in with his grandmother when he was fourteen. Maybe Edith hadn't told Mike the story because she felt he was too old or that he already knew – Harvey had been guilty of that. Maybe Edith didn't tell Mike because they couldn't afford gifts. But even if Edith had never told Mike, wouldn't the kid have learned about it when he was younger?

Mike was too young when his parents died to remember them, let alone Santa. He had only been at the orphanage/group home for six months and was too young to remember much of that. In his subsequent foster homes he had been the only child, maybe the foster parents hadn't told him because they hadn't wanted to deal with it - they hadn't been the best, after all. But still, wouldn't Mike have heard about Santa at school? He was seven when he ran off so that would have been about second grade. Donna had mentioned that it had been the school that had called because Mike hadn't shown for a few weeks.

"Didn't you learn about him in school?" Harvey inquired.

"I left school in the second grade," Mike answered.

"Yes, but all kids would have learned about Santa. Even in kindergarten," Jessica said.

Mike blushed a little and looked down. "I was home-schooled," he admitted quietly.

"What?" Harvey asked, confused. "Donna said the school called about you not being there and that's how you were reported missing."

"Yeah. I was supposed to start after the break but I ran off before that," Mike answered.

When the room remained silent, Mike started to squirm under the shocked stares pointed at him, so he supplied a bit more.

"The Baxters, my second foster family – I started school with them. They lived too far out for the bus so they put me in home school instead. Once I left them, I just kept with the home school, it was easier. The only reason I was being sent to public school was that Mr. Donner had gotten a job and they didn't trust me in the house alone for that long."

Harvey and Jessica were speechless; they had thought that Mike had been in school, around friends or at least classmates, from the beginning. They'd thought that Mike had gotten some type of break from his abusers during the day but he hadn't. Mike had not only been kept locked away with the people that were hurting and starving him, but he hadn't learned how to be a child _at all_. The only time Mike had ever gotten to play a sport was simply another way to make some money, with the threat of pain held over his head if he screwed up.

Harvey, Jessica and Donna had been holding onto some small hope that school had been some type of a buffer for Mike, allowing him to go through at least a small portion of childhood, but apparently they were wrong.

Mike had literally **never** gotten to be a child, he had **never** gotten to feel safe or taken care of and that wasn't good - it wasn't healthy.

Mind made up, Harvey moved to sit across from Mike and Jessica sat to Mike's left. "Santa Claus is…" Harvey started.

Mike sat patiently and listened to Harvey and Jessica tell him all about who Santa Claus was. Once they were finished, Mike took a moment to fully process all that he'd been told.

Harvey and Jessica waited for Mike to ask the questions that they knew were coming. They had told Mike about Santa, but had purposefully avoided mentioning that the man was a myth. However, they hadn't said whether the man was real either. Rather, they left it open for Mike to draw his own conclusions.

"Some things don't add up," Mike stated eventually.

"And what's that?" Callister asked from the doorway. Donna had called him once Mike had brought up his questions to Harvey and Jessica. He and Donna had been sitting at her cubicle listening to the explanation given.

Callister might not know everything about Mike's past, but he had overheard Mike tell Harvey about why he ran away from his last foster home (he had been standing guard outside and the restroom doors weren't all that thick). Callister also knew enough to understand that Mike's childhood had been non-existent. He fully agreed with Donna that Mike had the right to believe, even if it was just for a little while, so he'd come up with a few… justifications.

Harvey, Jessica and Mike all turned to Callister.

Harvey and Jessica were grateful for him being there, they weren't certain that they would be able to answer all of Mike's questions.

"OK, first off, there is no way he can deliver all over the world in one night," Mike started.

Callister chuckled as he took a seat at the table. "He doesn't," he stated simply, "There are multiple countries that receive their presents on the 6th of December. In the Netherlands, the presents are given on Sinterklauss day. There are many religions that don't celebrate Christmas. Also, Santa comes on Christmas Eve, which isn't the same time everywhere. There are three time zones in the United States alone, so it isn't only in one night."

Mike nodded, that did make more sense. "What about transportation? Reindeer don't fly."

"No, they don't," Callister agreed. "However, they've been around for a long time and they are able to leap rather high. If one were to see them at night, it could appear as though they were flying."

"If the reindeer don't fly, then his sleigh can't get around. So how does he get from continent to continent?"

"Reindeer can still pull the sleigh – though most likely only in the regions with snow. Santa probably has a vehicle of some sort elsewhere now a days. As far as continents, a plane would make the most sense, no?"

"What about getting in? He can't fit down a chimney, let alone get back up, and not that all people have a chimney."

"No, you're right, that is impractical. It was a made up way, I do believe, of stopping parents from getting their children comfortable with the idea of someone sneaking into their home in the middle of the night," Callister explained.

"How does he have a list?" Mike questioned.

"Births are recorded in almost every part of the world. Also, there are school records, court records, prison and juvie records. There are more lists than there are people. So long as you aren't off the grid completely, Santa will be able to find you."

"Elves?" Mike asked disbelievingly.

Callister shrugged, "Dwarfism isn't a new thing. Also, it only takes one to be seen before the rumors start."

"How does he afford it?"

"Possibly by charitable donations, possibly he's extremely wealthy - who knows? But it can be done."

"The North Pole?" Mike asked skeptically.

"Could be that there is a hidden workshop or it could just be a cover so that the real location isn't discovered."

"And how is he still alive?"

"Name and job passed down by generation in the same family."

Mike took in everything that Callister had just said. He had to admit, the man did make some good points.

There were parts that were a little fuzzy, but overall, it worked. "At what age does Santa stop coming?" Mike asked.

"Once you become a parent," Callister answered. It was the same answer he'd given to his children years ago.

Mike looked over at Harvey and Jessica. "I'm sorry", he said.

Harvey and Jessica were immediately reassuring Mike. "He stops coming because we've already got the best present," Jessica said, coming up with something off the top of her head.

"He can't top you," Harvey added quickly.

Callister shot them an apologetic look. He hadn't thought Mike would react that way.

After double-checking that Harvey and Jessica weren't upset, Mike nodded in understanding. Of course both of them were insistent that they weren't. "So…" Mike started, "Why haven't I gotten something from him before?"

Callister looked lost – he hadn't planned for that one. Luckily, Harvey had.

"Did any of your foster families celebrate Christmas?" he asked.

Mike thought about it, before replying in the negative.

"So then Santa wouldn't have come," Harvey said. "Your location wasn't known while you were…" he shot a glance to Callister, "younger. Did you and your grandmother ever put up a tree?"

Again, Mike answered in the negative.

"Have you celebrated since you've been on your own?" he continued.

Again a no.

"Well, then this'll be the first year your on his list," Harvey finished.

Mike sat quietly for a few minutes taking in everything that they had just been told. Harvey, Jessica and Callister all waited with baited breath. They knew that they'd 'adjusted' certain facts so that Mike would be more apt to believe them and they hoped that it had worked.

After a couple of minutes, Mike looked up to the three of them. "I've been good, right?"

"Yes," all three said in response.

Mike nodded and smiled at that.

Not too long after that, Mike got to work while Harvey sat down at his desk after silently thanking Callister and Jessica thanked the man aloud as they walked back to their own offices.

They all worked steadily for the rest of the day. Mike had been made to take a thirty-minute break halfway through his paperwork and when he completed the work, he wasn't allowed to go searching for more, apparently having filled his daily quota. Mike didn't like Harvey's ruling and ended up in the corner after having a small tantrum. Oh, the day was fun when Mike didn't get his nap in.

Harvey eventually got Mike home around seven thirty and was determined to get the kid fed, bathed and into bed because he was clearly tired. Of course things didn't go as smoothly as Harvey had hoped. Three and a half hours, four tantrums and two more time outs later, Mike was finally fast asleep.

Harvey sat down to get some work done until Jessica and Donna showed up. Donna quickly filled them in about Mike's friend in IT and all agreed that Benjamin was an appropriate friend for Mike, and they were glad that the kid finally had someone that he could talk to. They agreed that they needed to give the two time to hang out together; it would be good for Mike. Donna also told them what Mike had said about toys, it hurt to hear.

They moved onto the pending vote from there. The vote was to be held tomorrow morning and despite their best efforts, they hadn't gotten Louis on their side, meaning that Hardman had a chance at winning. No one was happy about it and they were even less interested in letting Mike anywhere near the office if Hardman won the vote, especially since the man now knew about Harvey having adopted Mike.

With worried thoughts running through their heads, Donna left and Harvey and Jessica tried to get some sleep.


	33. Chapter 33

**So someone brilliantly brought up the suggestion that Mike rebel against Harvey and Jessica because he was truly believed that he wasn't any good and wanted to show them. I hadn't even thought of that but I am glad that they said something. Also someone wanted the reaction to Mike being caught about to hook up with a girl - no idea if this is exactly what they were looking for but it's my shot at filling it.**

Chapter 33

One Christmas when Mike was six, he had learned what the day actually was.

He had gone to his foster parents - at the time, the Baxter's - and worked up the nerve to ask them if they were going to put up a tree. They had been mad, screaming that they couldn't celebrate because Mike wasn't good enough. There would be no Christmas this year, because Mike still had to learn, because Mike was bad, because he was a useless bastard who didn't even deserve the clothes on his back, let alone a tree or presents.

They had beaten Mike to a pulp before he was dragged by his hair (he had kept it long back then because he was required to. It was the first thing to go when he ran off) back to the basement where he was kept and Mike didn't see the light of day again for over three weeks.

Once Mike was let out, Christmas was long over.

Jerking awake, Mike looked around scared. He couldn't help but go over that day in his mind, review what they had told him. Over and over, he heard what they said - that he wasn't good enough, that he didn't deserve it and there was no one there to tell him differently.

His nightmare had been silent, - he hadn't made a sound - so there was no Harvey and no Jessica there to comfort him and tell him that it would all be alright, that the Baxter's were wrong and that he was good.

Sure, they had told him he was good when he'd asked, but was that really the truth? They hadn't lied to him, but that didn't mean that they knew all the facts. If they knew everything that he'd done in his life, would they still tell him that he had been good? Would they still want him?

Mike sighed. He knew he wasn't a good person. He'd been told so all his life by multiple people. All of those people couldn't have been wrong, could they?

No, it was Harvey and Jessica who were wrong and he'd just have to show them that.

Hopefully, they'd catch on quickly.

The next couple of days were long ones. Hardman won the vote all because of Louis. Harvey was mad, to say the least. Not only had Louis betrayed them, but then he was forced to switch offices with Paul Porter. He and Donna had spent the entire day moving offices and Mike had been sent to Jessica's office to work.

Of course, Hardman wasn't stopping there.

No, he sent Louis to give Harvey some pain in the ass case and then Hardman made the decision that since Harvey's office had now gone down in size, it no longer had room for Mike to work there too. Harvey had refused to let Mike go back to the associate's den and the upcoming court appearance to deal with the assault charge was plenty of reason to get Hardman to agree.

The next day, Mike was made to work in the file room – Harvey set it up with Callister that Mike would be helping the man with a case, thus ensuring that Mike would be kept out of the file room for a while. Mike hadn't been thrilled with the ruling, but he wasn't given a choice.

Mike, though, seemed to be an issue as of late. Ever since the whole Santa Clause talk, Mike had been acting up more and more. By the second day, he was even acting up when he was with Callister, causing the man to call Jessica to deal with the kid.

Needless to say, Mike had been spending a decent amount of time in the corner and he was currently restricted from his Gameboy and PSP. It also prompted a call to Clarice to see if they were missing something, who suggested that it might have something to do with Mike's own belief that there was an issue with him and that they should talk to him, and she would bring it up at their next session.

Mike sighed as he searched through the different boxes. He had been trying for two days now to get Jessica and Harvey to see that he was a problem - that he was useless. He had been doing anything he could think of. If he had tried any of this with his former foster parents, he would have been black and blue long ago, with possibly a few broken bones mixed in, at the least.

He had been yanked around the firm to all sorts of different places since the change in power. First, he was in Harvey's office, then Jessica's, then the file room, then Callister's office and he was getting sick of it. Why couldn't they just let him go back to his old cubicle and then leave him alone? Well, that wasn't going to happen.

He had tried to help his parents, though.

Hardman had come up to him during the whole thirty minutes that he'd been working in the file room before he'd been moved to Callister's office for a case. The man had been a prick, trying to play helpful and caring at first, but then Mike had called him on it, ending the charade in seconds. Mike had been around enough liars and smooth talkers to know what one looked like. He was the best conman around after so many years of practice and examples.

Hardman had tried to get Mike to say something, anything, that could lead to Harvey's disbarment, or at least firing Harvey from the firm. Mike had told Hardman that he would do anything to see Harvey fired, even plant something. Hardman had gotten worried, though he did cover it well, and then found a quick excuse to get out of there.

Mike had gotten an idea then, and had found a way to sneak out of the building (regardless of his parents rules or security settings, the security was still abysmal in this building. He just hadn't had a real need to sneak out before). When he got back, Callister had questioned him on his disappearance and, well - let's just say, his mother was called and he had to spend a half hour in the corner before apologizing.

Harvey and Jessica hadn't even wanted to bring him tonight, but it was a firm gathering and Mike was employed at the firm. They had brought him and then Mike had snuck off at the first chance he got, heading straight for the file room.

Everyone else was upstairs 'celebrating' Hardman's success while Mike was in the file room looking for evidence to prove that Hardman had planted the memo that Donna had destroyed.

Mike had just found what he was looking for, put it in his pocket and then cleaned up, when the file room opened and a woman who looked about the same age as Mike came barging in, shutting the door behind her. She leaned up against the door and let out a sigh, before starting a little when she caught sight of Mike.

"Sorry, didn't know there was someone in here," she said in greeting.

Mike shrugged it off. He didn't like the interruption, but he had gotten what he'd wanted and cleaned up, so no big deal. "Don't worry about it. Do I know you?"

"Oh, sorry," the girl smiled, stepping forward and offering her hand. "I'm Sarah."

Mike returned the handshake. "Mike," he offered.

"So, were you dragged here by your parents too?" Sarah inquired.

Mike shrugged. Technically, that was true. "What can you do about it?"

Sarah laughed. "Hide in the file room?"

"Exactly," Mike agreed, flashing a cheeky grin. He knew he needed to get out of here, but at the same time, he wasn't in any danger.

Sarah smiled and moved a bit closer. "Well, since we're both hiding out in here and we're both bored, I say that we find something to amuse ourselves."

In truth, Sarah didn't really care. She had been dragged here by her father to celebrate him taking over the company that he had obsessed over while her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. It wasn't until her father retired that he actually realized that she was even around, or how old she was. The last thing she wanted to be doing right now was celebrating the loss of her father, so rebelling seemed like the best idea.

Mike was pushed back into one of the shelves. He was a bit surprised that Sarah was practically forcing herself on him but then, he wasn't going to push away a beautiful girl, especially not one his own age. Besides, he was trying to prove a point to Harvey and Jessica. So.. why not?

Donna, though, decided that it was time to barge in on the two in the file room. She had noticed Mike missing from the 'party' and had gone looking for him. She hadn't expected to find him with his suit jacket and tie off, making out with a girl. "What's going on here?" she questioned.

Sarah and Mike bolted apart and collected themselves at Donna's abrupt entrance.

"Donna!" Mike exclaimed.

"Harvey's office. Now," Donna demanded as she stepped aside.

Harvey and Hardman came barrelling into Harvey's office ten minutes later, neither of which looking very happy.

"What were you thinking?" Hardman questioned Sarah.

"Wait, _he's_ your father?" Mike asked incredulously. Sure, he'd wanted to piss his parents off, but he hadn't wanted to betray them and that's what it would have been: a betrayal.

"You never said that _he_ was your father," Sarah retorted. She was aware of how her father loathed Harvey Specter and his newfound 'genius' of a son. If she had known that's who Mike was, she wouldn't have gone anywhere near him.

"We're leaving," Hardman stated heading towards the door and gesturing from his daughter to follow him.

As soon as Hardman was gone, Harvey turned to Mike. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I found a way to get rid of Hardman," Mike said.

"That's not what I asked," Harvey said. He was interested in what Mike had to say on the matter, but now was not the time.

"What were you thinking?" Jessica demanded as she barged into the room. Donna had found her and informed her about the current events.

Mike just shrugged; if they weren't going to listen to him, then he had nothing so say.

"We're waiting, Mike," Harvey said exasperatedly.

Mike remained stubbornly silent for a good fifteen minutes, before he became bored. "We didn't do anything," he eventually admitted.

"That's not the point," Harvey said.

"She came onto me," Mike defended himself.

"What happened?" Jessica asked, wanting to get all of the facts before they went overbored.

Mike sighed, but told them everything, starting with his conversation with Hardman, then sneaking out (yeah, they were upset about that one), sneaking to the file room and then ending with his meeting with Sarah. Once he was done, Harvey and Jessica were speechless. Mike had done a hell of a lot in a short amount of time and while the two of them were still trying to get over their anger and focus on the problem with Hardman.

"So, you did all of this and yet decided not to tell either of us?" Jessica asked.

Mike shrugged. "If I had told you, then you would have run with my idea and kept me out of it. It was my idea; I wanted to be a part of it, like before."

Harvey sighed. "Things aren't ever going to be like they were before. We're just trying to protect you, keep you safe."

"I don't need protecting!" Mike exclaimed, frustrated, standing up and pacing the room. "Just take today, for example. You freaked out because I was making out with Sarah. I mean, seriously, it's not like it would have been my first time."

"What?" Harvey and Jessica questioned simultaneously.

Mike paused to look at his parents. "Seriously? Do you not remember Jenny? Or how about the fact that Trevor and I used to go out at least twice a month to look for someone to hang out with?"

Harvey had to visibly collect himself.

He couldn't change Mike's past, and the fact that it included Trevor wasn't something he particularly liked. Still, just because it was in the past and not something that he could change, didn't mean that Mike would be allowed to continue. "Well, things change," he said eventually.

Mike glared at Harvey. "It's my choice."

"No, it's not actually," Jessica cut in.

Mike turned his glare to Jessica, but didn't argue. After a few minutes of silence, Mike sighed and looked at his parents. "So, what's it going to be this time?"

"What?" Harvey asked confused.

"What's the punishment going to be?" Mike clarified.

"Well, you've certainly done a lot to warrant punishment," Harvey started, "But considering that you were only trying to help, I will take that into consideration."

"What!?" Mike interrupted, "Seriously?! This really shouldn't be that hard to get," Mike ranted as he once again started pacing. "I wasn't doing anything to help. I've been driving you crazy for days! How is this so hard to figure out?!"

"What is it that you want us to figure out?" Jessica asked calmly. Both she and Harvey knew that something was going on with Mike and were hoping that the boy would come to them eventually - maybe this was it.

Mike stared at Jessica incredulously. Could she really be that thick? He'd been trying for days to get them to understand and he was becoming tired of this game. "THAT I'M NO GOOD!" he yelled.

Immediately, Harvey and Jessica were up and trying to console Mike. Mike, though, was having none of it.

He was so sick of trying to get them to see the truth. He knew that he was bad, useless, a waste of space. Why wouldn't they just get the picture already? Why string him along like this?

Eventually tired of their meaningless platitudes, Mike screamed to silence them. Once he had their attention, he went off, telling them every horrible thing that he'd done, all the things he'd been punished for and how they were dealt with.

He told them all the things he'd done while on the streets and living with the Donner's, with the Baxter's, with the Harrison's, and anything else he could think of.

Mike talked for hours.

The party had long ago ended and the sun was just setting as Mike finally finished. When he stopped talking, he sunk down onto the couch between Harvey and Jessica and looked up at his parents.

"Do you get it now?" he asked brokenly.

Harvey and Jessica both had tearstains on their faces as they took in everything that their son had just said. Mike had lived through so much and he was just a kid. They both wrapped Mike in-between them.

"Mike, none of that was your fault. Those people were the bad ones, not you," Jessica said, trying to console the boy.

Mike was having none of it though; he couldn't believe that after everything he'd just said, they still didn't believe him. Was there nothing he could do to get it through their heads?

Frustrated, he couldn't hold back the tears any longer and just started bawling. He hadn't been sleeping well and hadn't slept at all last night. He had just put himself through the ringer emotionally and he just didn't care anymore.

Harvey and Jessica sat there with Mike trying to console him and tell him that he was a good kid, that those bastards were wrong and that they loved him. Eventually, Mike cried himself to sleep. Once they were certain that Mike was out cold, they eventually laid the kid out on Harvey's couch and then got to work on getting rid of Hardman, so that they could put the man behind them and focus solely on their son.


	34. Chapter 34

**OK so someone suggested that Mike's lingual abilities impress a client. I hope this works. I picked a language at random, I just spun the little wheel and let it land and it happened to be french.**

Chapter 34

It had been one hell of a couple of days.

Once Harvey and Jessica had confirmed everything that Mike had dug up, they had called a board meeting and had gotten Hardman kicked out with Jessica taking back control of the firm. They were both relieved to have the pain in the ass gone, so that they could give Mike their undivided attention - the boy needed it.

The court appearance for the assault charge they had brought against Gregory was coming up in a couple of days and they both knew that Mike didn't want to press charges against the man to begin with. It was a fact that Gregory himself seemed to know since the man had decided to fight the charges, thinking that Mike would just cave.

Good news was that it wasn't actually Mike's decision; it was Harvey and Jessica's.

They had both decided that Mike wasn't going to go to the hearing. He didn't actually need to be there and it would just upset him more. Harvey was going on a business trip to meet with a client in Las Vegas.

Normally, Harvey wouldn't bring Mike along, even before he learned all of Mike's secrets. However, it just happened to be opportune timing. Mike would be going out of town with Harvey while Jessica tried - and won - the case against Gregory, and Mike wouldn't ever be informed.

Mike was having a … confusing couple of days. After having told his parents everything, they still insisted that he was a good person. He couldn't believe it! He was running out of things to do to get them to see reason. Deciding that they were just blind to the truth because of the holidays and the whole good spirits thing and all, he decided to use that against them. They had said that Santa Clause would know if Mike was good or not. After all, the man supposedly kept tabs on everyone. If Santa left Mike nothing on Christmas, then Harvey and Jessica would finally see the truth, and if, on the remote – miniscule - chance that Mike was actually left something, then he - may - consider taking another look at his past.

The past two days Harvey and Jessica had been insanely watchful of him. He couldn't believe the lengths that they were going to. They had gotten rid of Hardman the same day that Mike had told them what he'd learned – keeping him out of it! The whole reason he had gone behind their backs to get the information to begin with was because he wanted to be involved, but no - they had to go and get all protective. He was sick of being treated as fragile, as something needing protection.

As soon as Hardman had been let go, Harvey had gotten his office back, though it wasn't until the next day that Mike was allowed to come back to work. The first thing Mike noticed was the extra desk in Harvey's office. Naturally, Mike had thrown a grade-A fit, but all that got him was corner time and a lecture.

Another change was that Mike was now only allowed to work half days – permanently. Or, at least, for the foreseeable future. Both Harvey and Jessica (Donna and Callister, even) had told Mike that he needed to have the time to relax and explore new things. His mind was too important to be kept in a box and there was no telling what he could come up with if he was just given the opportunity to follow his ideas. So, much to Mike's chagrin, he now had a reduced amount of work time, but he can't say that he was necessarily upset about having time to work on his symphony, which was actually coming along quite nicely.

Another change was that Harvey was actually going to take him on a business trip. When Harvey had first scheduled this trip, Mike had been informed, in no uncertain terms, that he wouldn't be going. Granted, that was before anyone knew Mike's secret, but still. Harvey had said that it was because he thought Mike could use a little break from the office - a change of scenery.

Mike wasn't buying it, though.

He knew that something was up, but he didn't know what, and no one was willing to tell him. It was infuriating, really, how much things had changed in just a few months. It used to be that Mike would be informed and involved in all of the important happenings at the firm; it was one of the perks of being Harvey Specter's associate. Now that he was Harvey Specter's son, though, it seemed as though he was shut out of everything. Sometimes he wished that no one had ever found out about his age; it always changed things.

Mike's alarm went off and he groaned as he rolled over to stop the incessant buzzing, before lying there and hoping to catch a little more sleep. The lights flipped on a couple of minutes later, and Mike made a loud noise of complaint as he squinted his eyes shut.

"Time to get up!" a voice way too cheerful for this early in the morning called.

Mike felt the covers being lifted off him and he rolled onto his side, away from the annoyingly chipper man, and curled into a ball, trying to keep warm. That lasted for a total of forty-five seconds before clothes were thrown on top of his side.

"You have thirty minutes to be dressed and at the table. Don't forget to pack your backpack so you have things to do to keep you busy on the flight," the voice informed him, before his bedroom door was shut and he was alone once again.

Mike lay there for another two minutes, before admitting that sleep wasn't going to return. He sighed as he sat up, took his clothes and headed for the bathroom to get ready. He was at the table with ten seconds to spare.

Breakfast was a quiet affair as Mike was still annoyed at having to be up so early – who chooses to take a six o'clock flight when they didn't need to meet with their client until eight thirty that night? It was just plain cruel.

The ride to the airport consisted of Mike sulking and staring out the window with his headphones jammed in his ears. Harvey sighed as he watched the kid; sometimes Mike managed to nail the petulant teenager attitude on the head.

They got through security without any problems and were soon seated at the terminal waiting to board. Harvey had made sure that they were both travelling first class. Like he would really travel coach.

Mike had sat quietly while waiting for the plane to be ready, though Harvey had made sure that they were there for as little time as possible by arriving as late as possible. The issue came when they were finally in the air, or really, that's when Harvey first realized that there was an issue.

Mike was still being completely quiet. It wasn't like Mike to be absolutely silent. Not in all the time that Harvey had known the boy had he ever been this quiet unless something was wrong.

"What's up?" Harvey questioned after a few minutes more of the eerie quiet coming from the seat next to him.

Mike just shrugged in response while staring out the window.

Trying again, he asked, "What's wrong?"

And again, a shrug - yay.

"Mike, I know something's wrong. Spill."

Mike sighed and turned to face Harvey. "I've never flown before."

Oh! That was it. "Little nervous?"

Mike shrugged, turning to stare out the window again.

After some thought, Harvey eventually pulled Mike's backpack out from under the boy's seat, earning a curious glance. He dug through the bag and quickly pulled out the laptop with the music program and Mike's good pair of headphones (Harvey and Jessica had bought Mike one of the nicest – and quietest – pair available the same day that Donna had given Mike the laptop).

"Here." Harvey put the laptop on Mike's tray and handed him the headphones.

Mike stared in confusion for a moment.

He had thought that they weren't allowed to use electronics on the plane, but if Harvey was giving it to him, then clearly it was OK, right? Shrugging and not really caring so long as it kept his mind off the numerous possibilities for disaster, Mike put the headphones on and set to work. He really only wanted to go over the last few problem areas before he put called it complete.

After a six-hour flight, Harvey and Mike were finally deplaning. As soon as they were off the plane, Harvey felt like he wanted to jump for joy and kiss the ground. Mike was not an easy person to fly with. Everything had been fine for the first two and a half hours; Mike had been completely absorbed in his symphony. The problem arose when the kid had finished. A bored boy in a confined space is not a good idea. An energetic, highly intelligent and quickly bored boy in a confined space is a horrible idea. Harvey had run out of ideas to keep Mike occupied after an hour, and he had still been left with two and a half hours.

Harvey had been stupid enough to let Mike go to the restroom alone.

The first class restroom was at the front of the plane. Harvey had gotten a bit concerned when Mike hadn't returned after thirty minutes, (two hours left – yes, he was keeping count) so he had gone to check what the problem was. Mike wasn't there. Since Mike hadn't passed Harvey and gone towards the back of the plane, Harvey was at a loss as to where the hell Mike could have gone. Quickly becoming concerned, he flagged down a stewardess, only to find out that his son had somehow managed to weasel his way into the cockpit.

The stewardess was kind enough to take Harvey to Mike, where Harvey saw the boy happily chatting away with the pilots about the different instruments the plane had and how each piece worked, as well as how to fly it. Harvey put a stop to things when they had offered to let Mike try out the pilots seat, (apparently even the pilots were impressed with Mike's intelligence. Oh, joy) because he was fairly certain that it wasn't completely legal. Mike was less nervous about flying though, now that he had a decent understanding of how the plane actually worked.

Harvey had taken a pouting Mike back to his seat and there was still an hour left in the flight. To say that hour was the longest of his life would probably be an understatement.

They collected their bags as quickly as they could and Harvey hailed a cab to take them to their hotel. The hotel itself was wonderful. The client had wanted to meet at one of the nicest hotels and casinos in Vegas. Harvey had booked a simple suite, not really needing anything fancy since they would only be there for three days.

The entrance had a hallway with a door to the bathroom on the left, which had a massive tub, a walk in shower, a double vanity and a television. At the end of the hall was a sleeping area with two queen size beds with a night stand in-between, and a seat at the bottom of each bed. There was one dresser with a TV above it and a closet off to the side. There were three steps that led down from the beds to the sitting area, where yet another TV was located, as well as a dining room table for three, a desk with internet hook-up, and printer and copier and fax. There was also two, long sofas available.

Mike was amazed with the suite. He'd never seen anything like it. The place was the fanciest he'd ever been in - there was even a TV in the bathroom! He then went and jumped on both beds, before putting his backpack on the bed he wanted and moving on to check out the living room area.

Harvey watched Mike run around the suite like a five year old on a sugar high. He couldn't help but wonder how Mike would react to finding out that there was a 'PlayStation Experience' going on at the hotel. Over 4,000 feet of nothing but video games – hopefully it would keep the kid busy while they were here.

Harvey looked at the clock on the nightstand and sighed. It was Mike's typical naptime, but he had to feed the kid first. There was no way he was letting Mike miss his nap. He did not need a cranky associate at dinner when they were dealing with a client. Of course, when Harvey told Mike this after they'd eaten, all that did was set off the third tantrum of the day – granted, they were all small, but they were still annoying.

At eight-fifteen that evening, Harvey and Mike were walking into the restaurant in perfectly tailored suits (yes, Harvey had finally caved and thrown out all of Mike's suits in favour of buying new ones). They saw the client, Mr. Gerard, and his second-in-command, Mr. Barlow, at a table over by the back wall.

Mr. Gerard was extremely wealthy. He was from France and from what Harvey could tell, so was Mr. Barlow. When they got to the table, the two were having what appeared to be an intense conversation, however, Harvey couldn't make heads or tails as to what they were saying.

"On m'a dit que son associate est juste un enfant," Mr. Barlow said. (I've been told his associate is just a child.)

Mr. Gerard sighed. "Je ai entendu la meme chose. Je etais au courant de cette quand je aim is la reunion." (I've heard the same. I was unaware of this when I set the meeting.)

"Alors pourquoi continuer avec la reunion?" Mr. Barlow questioned. (Then why continue with the meeting?)

"Je ai decouvert trop tard pour etre en mesure de refuser poliment." (I found out too late to politely decline.)

Mr. Gerard shrugged. "Nous allons manger un bon repas, puis envoyer l'homme et son enfant loin." (We will eat a nice meal and then send the man and his child away.)

Mr. Barlow nodded his agreement.

Harvey waited until their conversation seemed to have come to an end before announcing his presence. Harvey greeted both men, before turning to introduce Mike.

After they were all seated, Mike started to look over the menu while Harvey talked to Mr. Gerard. There was a lull in the conversation as the waiter came to take their drink orders.

Mr. Barlow turned to Mr. Gerard. "Il a l'air encore plus jeune que je ne pensais." (He looks even younger than I thought.)

Mr. Gerard gave Mike a quick once over. "Je suis d'accord. Peut-etre que nous aurions du lui obtenu un menu pour enfants." (I agree. Perhaps we should have gotten him a kids menu.)

Mr. Barlow smirked at that as he also gave Mike a quick once over.

Mike was getting tired of these two men constantly talking about him as though he were not in the room. Just because he was a teenager doesn't mean that he's inept. He waited, though, until the waiter had come and taken their orders. As he watched Harvey try to win over the clients, however, he felt a bit sorry for the man. These two were never going to agree to anything Harvey said so long as they thought so little of Mike.

After the waiter brought the food, Mike saw Mr. Gerard and Mr. Barlow smirking, and shooting him looks once again.

"Je espere que ca ne est pas trop de noirriture pour l'enfant," Mr. Barlow chuckled. (Hope it is not too much food for the boy.)

Mike put his fork down and looked the two men in the eye. "Si vous avez commande trop, je suis sur que vous serez en mesure de prendre la maison des restes mais la prochaine fois que je serai sur de vous obtenir un menu pour enfants." (If you've ordered too much, I'm sure you'll be able to take the leftovers home. However, next time I'll be sure to get you a children's menu.)

The two men were shocked and a bit embarrassed, while Harvey was just plain confused.

The rest of the meal went along much more smoothly. Mr. Gerard and Mr. Barlow actually gave Mike a chance and kept an open mind, only to learn that they had grossly underestimated the kid. In the end, the two decided to go with Harvey and signed the contract then and there. Harvey led Mike away smiling.

When they got back to the room, Mike took a quick shower and then climbed into bed, (on Harvey's insistence) settling in for sleep.

Harvey sat at the desk in the living area and watched Mike as the boy slept. He couldn't believe that Mike actually knew French, but then again, he shouldn't be surprised. Mike had said that he knew a ridiculous amount of languages. Why wouldn't French be one of them? He shook his head as he set to work. It was a great ending to a rather busy and slightly stressful day.


	35. Chapter 35

OK. So I've been having a bit of writers block. Needless to say, this chapter took a heck of a long time to write. There's only a few chapters left and I will do my best to put all suggestions in. However, I might not completely succeed.

Chapter 35

When Mike was five he lived with the Harrison's. They were his first set of foster parents and in many ways they were the worst of them all. They were the ones who completely destroyed Mike's belief in safety and the ability to rely on others – he had only been three at the time.

Two years later, they were also the ones to teach him that people could choose to leave you.

Mike had been out with Mrs. Harrison. While she was shopping, they had run into a French man. The man had been out visiting – just sightseeing around America, and he had gotten a bit lost. The man had taken a few wrong turns and was standing in the middle of the mall parking lot, hoping that someone would be willing to direct him back to the freeway. Unfortunately, he had been speaking French and no one around seemed to understand him.

Mike had learned French from one of the books at the library that his grandmother would take him to on their occasional visits. Deciding that he should probably try and help the man, he pulled away from Mrs. Harrison and walked over to the stranger. Speaking in perfect French, Mike had directed the man on his way. The man had been thankful and Mrs. Harrison had been… well… she hadn't been happy. Mrs. Harrison had immediately taken Mike back to the house and then dragged him by his hair into the closet that was his 'room,' and locked him in there for two days.

Mr. Harrison was the one who let Mike out. He had taken Mike down to the basement and strapped him to a wooden chair. Mike had been nervous He didn't know what that room was for; he'd never been there. Mr. Harrison had then brought out a generator and turned it on, opening it to reveal the battery. Mike had watched as Mr. Harrison had then clipped a jumper cable to the battery, smiling as he started to walk towards Mike with the other end.

Mike will always remember the way that the first shock felt, and the succeeding thirty-four that followed. It was one of the worst punishments that he'd ever gotten. Mr. Harrison had screamed at him the entire time about how he was evil because he spoke to that man outside the mall, and how he shouldn't even know proper English, let alone another language. Mr. Harrison had told Mike that he needed to be restarted so that he could be corrected. Apparently, the attempt didn't work, because the day Mike came around again, he was taken back to his social worker to be placed in a different home.

Harvey was started awake by the sound of Mike's pleading screams.

It was rare that Mike really screamed in his sleep, but when he did, it was heart-wrenching. He raced over and woke the boy as fast as he could, not wanting to make him suffer through his nightmare any longer. It took a total of forty minutes of holding Mike and whispering comforts into his ear before the kid had finally calmed down and stopped crying.

Once Mike was settled, Harvey asked him gently about his dream. It took a lot of cajoling, but Mike finally told him. To say he wanted to kill the Harrison's was an understatement – he wanted to torture them first, just as they had Mike, and then some. He wanted to make them feel as worthless and unwanted as they had made his son feel for so long.

Harvey did his best to reassure Mike that it hadn't been his fault and that there was nothing wrong with being able to speak different languages. Tried to get the kid to believe that it was a good thing to know so many different languages, but he knew that Mike didn't believe him.

Mike fell asleep as Harvey spoke. Once Harvey was sure that Mike had drifted off to sleep again, he stood up from the bed. As he made to lay Mike back down, he stopped himself. He didn't want to let Mike go anytime soon. With that in mind, Harvey carried Mike over to his bed and put him down first, before climbing in. He had just listened to his son recount a horrible torture from his past. The last thing Harvey wanted to do right now was leave Mike - even if it was for the small distance between the beds.

Right now, Harvey wanted to know that Mike was safe and the best way for him to know that was to keep the kid close.

Mike awoke the following morning confused. The first thing that he noticed was that his head was resting on something that was rising and falling at a steady rate – a pillow shouldn't do that. The next thing he noticed was that whatever his head was on smelled different. It wasn't the normal pillow smell; it was more… like his Dad's smell?

Mike sat up and rubbed at his eyes. He took a good look at where he was – this only confused him more. Mike was sitting up on his Dad's bed and it appeared as though he'd been using his Dad's chest as a pillow. When did this happen?

He remembered his dream from last night, he remembered being woken up by his Dad, he remembered his Dad calming him down, and he remembered the man trying to convince him that it was good that he knew so many languages. Mike remembered all of that - what he didn't remember was falling asleep in his Dad's bed. With no answers seemingly forthcoming, Mike just shook his head and made his way towards the bathroom.

Harvey was woken by a shift in weight on the bed. He opened his eyes and looked around, only to see his son disappear into the restroom. Realizing that it was time to get up – he wasn't about to leave Mike up to his own devices in the middle of a Las Vegas hotel and casino, no telling what the boy would get up to – Harvey started to get ready for the day himself.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Harvey asked as soon as he heard the bathroom door open.

"Not hungry," Mike mumbled as he rubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes and plopped down on the couch.

Harvey picked up the room phone, dialling the hotel kitchen. "Pancakes it is, then."

Mike shot Harvey a glare, but knew better than to argue with the man. He grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels.

Harvey sighed as he watched his son. He knew that he needed to get Mike out of this mood. Otherwise, it would be a very long day. Clapping his hands to get Mike's attention, Harvey all too chipperly took charge. "So! What is it that you want to do today?"

Mike looked up at Harvey lazily. "Blackjack."

Harvey couldn't believe it. "You're 18."

Mike shrugged. "It's Vegas."

Harvey took a breath to get himself under control, before continuing, "Are you trying to push me?"

"What?"

"You're underage." By Mike's blank look, Harvey continued slowly, "Not legally allowed to gamble."

Mike rolled his eyes. "I've been conning my way into casinos since I was 15. The trick is finding the crappiest places around and not staying at any one table for too long."

Harvey couldn't believe it, although it really shouldn't be that surprising. Mike had supported himself and his grandmother for years and he was a con artist. What easier way for a genius to make money than by counting cards?

Still, though, Mike was his son now, and he wasn't allowed in the casinos. "You're not gambling."

"Who said anything about gambling?" Mike scoffed.

Now Harvey was starting to understand why Jessica got irritated when he played poker to get a client's company back. "You're not allowed to be a part of any card games while we are in Las Vegas."

"Then what the hell do you suggest I do?" Mike asked snippily.

"Watch the attitude, Mike," Harvey warned, "And as for entertainment, there is a PlayStation convention here at the hotel, as well as a pool and a large arcade. Any of those activities are open to you."

At this point, the food came, so Harvey put the conversation on hold. Mike had steadfastly refused to eat for a full three hours, before finally giving in. After eating, Harvey sent Mike to the corner. Though he was happy that Mike had finished his breakfast, the kid needed to know that it wasn't all right to try to skip a meal or to put up a fight about eating.

When Mike was let out of the corner, it was just about time for lunch, so Harvey fed the kid a small snack then sent him to take a nap.

Mike laid there in his bed for a good twenty minutes before Harvey realized that he wasn't sleeping.

"Mike."

Sighing, Mike rolled over to face Harvey. "Yeah?"

"What's up?"

Mike shrugged. He wasn't really sure what was bothering him at the moment.

Harvey sighed as he stood up. Mike wasn't staying awake on purpose - Harvey could see that. Harvey put on some light music and sat down on the bed next to Mike, slowly running his hand up and down the boy's back. Five minutes later, he was out like a light.

The rest of the day went by easily. Harvey took Mike down to the PlayStation convention after his nap. The boy had run around the convention show floor like a kid in a candy store. Mike had tried out multiple games, but he was more interested in talking to the designers, learning how they created the games, what they used to make the graphics - everything. Most of the game designers were also fascinated by Mike's level of understanding and how quickly he picked things up. They enjoyed discussing their work with another like-minded person.

Harvey had dragged an exhausted Mike back to the room that night after eating dinner out. Harvey practically had to change Mike into his pajamas, before laying the kid down in bed, and staying with Mike until he fell asleep. When Harvey had tried to move away, though, he felt a small tug on the bottom of his shirt.

Looking down, Harvey saw that Mike had a tight grip on the bottom of his shirt. He gave a small smile at the gesture and couldn't help but give in, picking Mike up and laying down in his bed again. The sleeping boy was quick to curl up onto Harvey and use his chest as a pillow once again.

The following morning, Harvey was actually the first one to wake up. He smiled as he looked down at his son. Mike was using Harvey's chest as a pillow and was dead asleep and looking completely content.

Harvey still couldn't believe that this was his life now. It was only a few months ago that Harvey was a single, childless man, living in the perfect bachelor's pad and dating a different woman every night. The biggest concerns in his life were his job, keeping Donna happy, and what he wanted to do for dinner.

Now, though, he was sharing a condo with his boss (who was also Mike's mother), he had an 18-year-old son, he was planning a date with Zoe when he got back, and his biggest concern was Mike's health and safety. My, how fast things could change.

Harvey was drawn out of his musings as Mike started to stir. As soon as Mike was up, Harvey shepherded the boy into the bathroom with strict instructions to take a bath and then pack up. They were leaving today, and Harvey wanted to make sure that Mike had everything packed before his nap so that Harvey could have the time to ensure that nothing would be left behind.

Mike stepped out of the bathroom over an hour later and started packing. As soon as Mike was finished, he turned to Harvey, "Wanna go back down to the PlayStation convention?"

"Sorry, bud. Yesterday was the last day for the convention."

"Oh."

Harvey watched as Mike slumped onto the couch in a pout and knew that if he didn't turn things around, he would be dealing with a cranky kid all day. Not what he needed when they were going to be stuck on a plane for six and a half hours. Thinking on his feet, Harvey grabbed his laptop off the desk and handed it out to the kid. "Why don't you entertain yourself while I order an early lunch?"

Mike eyed up the laptop, before begrudgingly taking it and turning it on. Mike was bored. He had hoped to talk to the game designers again; they had been entertaining and he had learned a lot. He couldn't wait to talk it over with Benjamin and Lola. With that thought in mind, Mike quickly opened up his email and sent out a group message, trying to plan out a time that they could all get together.

After having written his message, Mike was bored once again, and he wasn't looking forward to the upcoming plane ride.

He had been scared last time he was on a plane until the pilots had taught him how the thing worked. He had actually been enjoying himself until his Dad had shown up and pulled him back to his seat. The rest of the plane ride had been a nightmare. Determined to find something to make the journey more interesting, Mike googled fun things to do on a plane.

Harvey ordered the food and pulled out some work to go over while they waited for the food to arrive. Five minutes in, however, he was getting curious as to what Mike was up to. Harvey was thirty seconds away from going to look over Mike's shoulder when the food arrived, so instead, he just plucked the computer out of Mike's hands and set it aside to look at later.

Mike didn't feel up to the fight over eating today, so he just picked at his plate until his Dad deemed that he'd eaten enough and sent him to bed.

The second Harvey was certain that Mike was asleep, he picked up the laptop. He paled when he found what Mike had been looking up.

His son had pulled up all sorts of sites on ways to amuse oneself on a plane – namely, what pranks were funniest. The last things Harvey needed or wanted was for Mike to even attempt to pull one of these. These kinds of things just weren't a safe idea and would most likely end with one, or both, of them getting arrested. Deciding that he needed to have some type of plan in place for the upcoming plane ride, Harvey did a little research of his own.

At eleven thirty that night, Harvey and Mike were walking into their home and Harvey couldn't have been more relieved.

"How was your trip?" Jessica inquired walking in and hugging Mike, before turning to greet Harvey.

"The PlayStation convention was amazing…" Mike started rambling excitedly as Jessica led him to his room for the night.

A little under two hours later and Jessica was once again walking into Harvey's office, "He's down for the night."

Harvey sighed, "I thought that plane ride was never going to end."

"What happened?"

"You know when you're on a plane and there's this kid that you wish the parent would reign in?" Harvey asked her as he dropped down onto the couch.

Jessica sat down next to him. "Yes. I hate it when a parent can't control their child."

Harvey looked over at her and he suddenly seemed so much wearier. "I have a lot more sympathy for those parents."

"What happened?"

"Everything that could possibly go wrong."

Jessica was amused and yet confused. "I need a better explanation than that."

"You want a better explanation?" Harvey asked rhetorically. "Not five minutes after the plane was in the air, Mike was bored. I told the kid to check out what there was on the screen on the headrest – stupid me. I was thankful that we were on one of the newer planes."

"How was that a problem? It should have kept him busy for the entire flight."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Harvey shot her a look. "Did you know that the screen's computers are tied into the entire plane?"

Jessica was starting to understand the issue. "What did he do exactly?"

"He got into the plane's navigational system and programmed in a quicker route. Without telling the pilots."

Jessica winced. "How did that go over?"

"The pilot himself came out and asked around as to who had done it."

Jessica quirked an eyebrow, "And Mike volunteered himself?"

Harvey scoffed, "Not a chance. I ratted him out, then made him change it back. The last thing we needed was to confuse every control tower around. After he fixed it, the pilot turned off his computer access. Turns out, the pilot had been impressed, so they agreed not to say anything and Mike won't be getting into trouble."

"Is that the only thing that happened?" Jessica asked hesitantly.

Harvey rubbed his hands over his face. "I wish."

"What else?"

Giving a humorless laugh, Harvey listed everything he could remember. "He pestered everyone around us with endless questions, to the point they were practically begging me to gag him. He played with his overhead light until the stewardess turned it off, because the constant flashing was driving others crazy. He spilled his drink all over me, and then when I went to the bathroom to dry off, Mike slipped back to coach, got a hold of the intercom and started a game of Simon says, followed by a sing-a-long. After that, he wasn't allowed to be out of his seat alone and then only to go to the restroom. He made paper airplanes out of the air sick bags and threw them around the cabin…."

"Okay, okay," Jessica held up her hands to stop Harvey. "The plane ride was horrible -"

"Horrible is an understatement–"

"Still," Jessica tried to placate, "It's over now and you've made it through."

Harvey shot her a look, before conceding and heading up to bed for the night, looking forward to his date the following night.

Jessica couldn't help but find amusement in Harvey's story, though she knew that what Mike had done wasn't appropriate. Still, the trip had served its purpose. She had won the case against Gregory and the man wouldn't be going anywhere near Mike for the rest of his life.

Jessica checked in on Mike one last time, before heading to bed herself; She had missed him while he was gone.


End file.
